PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Waterbury-Shelton, CT

48.7
Life Score / 100
B-
Grade (curved)
#213
of 387 metros
45%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Waterbury ranks #213 of 387 US metros, ahead of 45% - carried by its environment (95/100) and held back most by childcare (9/100).

95
strongest: Environment
90
then: Safety
9
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Waterbury sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

49 45th percentile higher than 45% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). This entry sits in this band. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Waterbury Life Score

Waterbury's composite score of 48.7 out of 100, a grade of B-, places the metro at rank #213 of 387, ahead of 45% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Environment (95/100) and Safety (90/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (9/100) and Schools (11/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 99.8 (rent-RPP 89.1). BLS median salary $72,471, 153,560 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,788/mo (studio $1,246).

FBI UCR (CT): 139 violent, 1397 property/100K. NCES: 12.1:1 ratio, 2.1% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,127/yr. EPA: 17 Superfund sites (CT). Ranks #210-#216 below.

Dimension detail

How Waterbury scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 24/100 (20%)
Wages 83/100 (20%)
Rent 15/100 (15%)
Safety 90/100 (15%)
Schools 11/100 (10%)
Childcare 9/100 (10%)
Environment 95/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

99.8
Cost Index (RPP)
$72,471
Avg Median Salary
$1,788
2BR Fair Market Rent
139
Violent Crime/100K (CT)
12.1:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,127
Infant Childcare/yr (CT)
17
Superfund Sites (CT)
153,560
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Waterbury With...

Waterbury vs Norwich Compare → Waterbury vs New Haven Compare → Waterbury vs Hartford Compare → Waterbury vs Wildwood Compare → Waterbury vs Waterloo Compare → Waterbury vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Waterbury outranks 45% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#210 Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL 48.9 B-
#211 Erie, PA 48.9 B-
#212 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL 49.0 B-
#213 Waterbury-Shelton, CT 48.7 B-
#214 Ocala, FL 48.7 B-
#215 Ogden, UT 48.7 B-
#216 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 48.6 B-

CT Metro Scores

Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT C+ 46.0 New Haven, CT C 43.6 Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT C 42.4 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area D 37.7

Using Waterbury's Life Score

Waterbury is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is environment (95/100) and its weakest is childcare (9/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Waterbury head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Waterbury lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Waterbury's biggest strengths? ▼
Waterbury's strongest dimensions are Environment (95/100), Safety (90/100), Wages (83/100). Environment is top-tier nationally.
What are Waterbury's weakest areas? ▼
Waterbury's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (9/100), Schools (11/100), Rent (15/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Waterbury compared to the national average? ▼
Waterbury's Regional Price Parity is 99.8 (0.2% less than national); rent RPP 89.1.
What is the average salary in Waterbury? ▼
Waterbury median salary: $72,471, 153,560 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Waterbury's 48.7/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.