Most Densely Populated Cities in Connecticut: Ranked by People per Square Mile
The densest city in Connecticut in our data is Bridgeport, CT, with about 8,987 people per square mile, followed by Hartford, CT (7,024) and New Haven, CT (6,967). This list ranks the top 43 places among the 43 Connecticut communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 43 in Connecticut?
| # | City | County | Per sq mi | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bridgeport, CT | Fairfield County | 8,987 | 924,449 |
| 2 | Hartford, CT | Hartford County | 7,024 | 905,152 |
| 3 | New Haven, CT | New Haven County | 6,967 | 564,830 |
| 4 | New Britain, CT | Hartford County | 5,426 | 72,495 |
| 5 | West Haven, CT | New Haven County | 5,079 | 54,620 |
| 6 | New London, CT | New London County | 4,776 | 26,858 |
| 7 | Jewett City, CT | New London County | 4,766 | 9,749 |
| 8 | Thompsonville, CT | Hartford County | 4,273 | 8,701 |
| 9 | Rockville, CT | Tolland County | 4,206 | 7,115 |
| 10 | Willimantic, CT | Windham County | 3,945 | 17,358 |
| 11 | Norwalk, CT | Fairfield County | 3,880 | 88,816 |
| 12 | Waterbury, CT | New Haven County | 3,771 | 189,614 |
| 13 | Riverside, CT | Fairfield County | 3,551 | 8,604 |
| 14 | Stamford, CT | Fairfield County | 3,445 | 129,638 |
| 15 | Old Greenwich, CT | Fairfield County | 3,429 | 6,844 |
| 16 | Cos Cob, CT | Fairfield County | 3,364 | 6,990 |
| 17 | Branford Center, CT | New Haven County | 3,271 | 6,163 |
| 18 | Ansonia, CT | New Haven County | 3,098 | 18,654 |
| 19 | Storrs, CT | Tolland County | 2,924 | 16,352 |
| 20 | Oakville, CT | Litchfield County | 2,709 | 8,799 |
| 21 | Wallingford Center, CT | New Haven County | 2,528 | 18,360 |
| 22 | Meriden, CT | New Haven County | 2,494 | 59,395 |
| 23 | Milford, CT | New Haven County | 2,448 | 54,328 |
| 24 | Derby, CT | New Haven County | 2,440 | 12,339 |
| 25 | Milford city , CT | New Haven County | 2,427 | 53,195 |
| 26 | Bristol, CT | Hartford County | 2,269 | 59,947 |
| 27 | Danbury, CT | Fairfield County | 2,018 | 176,030 |
| 28 | Conning Towers Nautilus Park, CT | New London County | 1,958 | 9,785 |
| 29 | Naugatuck, CT | New Haven County | 1,906 | 31,108 |
| 30 | Southwood Acres, CT | Hartford County | 1,836 | 7,473 |
| 31 | Terryville, CT | Litchfield County | 1,821 | 5,030 |
| 32 | Cheshire Village, CT | New Haven County | 1,803 | 6,082 |
| 33 | Sherwood Manor, CT | Hartford County | 1,756 | 5,513 |
| 34 | Glastonbury Center, CT | Hartford County | 1,668 | 7,929 |
| 35 | Pawcatuck, CT | New London County | 1,554 | 5,305 |
| 36 | Winsted, CT | Litchfield County | 1,538 | 7,121 |
| 37 | Kensington, CT | Hartford County | 1,523 | 7,971 |
| 38 | Norwich, CT | New London County | 1,380 | 200,289 |
| 39 | Simsbury Center, CT | Hartford County | 1,347 | 6,154 |
| 40 | Shelton, CT | Fairfield County | 1,342 | 41,129 |
| 41 | Middletown, CT | Middlesex County | 1,127 | 46,258 |
| 42 | Torrington, CT | Litchfield County | 855 | 40,003 |
| 43 | Stafford Springs, CT | Tolland County | 787 | 5,023 |
How dense are the cities in Connecticut?
The densest place is about 4 times as dense as the median place in the state, which has about 2,494 people per square mile. At the other end, Stafford Springs, CT has about 787. Under our scale, 5 places are an urban core (over 5,000 per square mile), 36 are suburban, and the rest are small towns or rural. New Haven County contributes 12 of the top 43.
Which counties do the top 43 belong to?
The 43 places on this list are spread across 8 counties of Connecticut. New Haven County has 12 (New Haven, West Haven, Waterbury, Branford Center, Ansonia, Wallingford Center, Meriden, M); Hartford County has 9 (Hartford, New Britain, Thompsonville, Bristol, Southwood Acres, Sherwood Manor, Glastonbur); Fairfield County has 8 (Bridgeport, Norwalk, Riverside, Stamford, Old Greenwich, Cos Cob, Danbury, Shelton). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does Connecticut compare with the rest of the country?
The median Connecticut place with a page has about 17,358 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is larger than the national typical place. Bridgeport, CT ranks 52nd among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 110 communities in total, of which 43 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about Connecticut cities
- Which is the densest city in Connecticut? Bridgeport (8,987 per square mile).
- How many Connecticut cities have more than 100,000 people? 7 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 12.
- What is the typical size? About 17,358 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.