Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT

County Profile

329,259 residents. Jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT.

48out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 12% of 1,453 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 11 sources
Opportunity1,237th of 1,463 counties measured36
Growth1,178th of 1,453 counties measured33
Housing affordability1,232nd of 1,462 counties measured60
ClimateTop 45% of 1,463 counties measured70
Physical resilience1,180th of 1,463 counties measured33
Access890th of 1,463 counties measured75
Economic stabilityTop 29% of 1,463 counties measured74
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable counties measured: unemployment is 6.5% and the Opportunity signal places Greater Bridgeport Planning Region in the bottom 15%.

Residential permitting has slowed: 589 units authorized over the past twelve months, 39% below the prior year.

Rent takes 35% of renter income here, at or above the threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, while buying strains owner incomes less — the median home is 3.4 times what its owners earn, against a historic benchmark near three.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
329,259
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$89,667
Top 10% nationally
Density
2,349/sq mi
140.2 sq mi of land
Median age
39.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Greater Bridgeport Planning Region
Connecticut
Nearest major airport
JFK
48 mi · John F Kennedy Intl
Median home value
$428,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 6.5% — higher than in all but 4% of the 1,467 measured US counties.

Employment fell 4.2% over the past year, to 161,506 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 93% of measured US counties.

Median household income of $89,667 is higher than in 90% of measured US counties.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023$92,23190th percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023$84,51490th percentileof 1,417filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$2,4572024 ACS 5-Year$89,667Top 10%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,2842024 ACS 5-Year$52,385Top 5%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year12.0%Top 43%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year32.8 minBottom 13%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year41.7%Top 7%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year64.1%6th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 2026161,506Top 15%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026−3.7%Bottom 12%of 1,467July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−4.2%Bottom 5%of 1,467July 2026
Labor forceJuly 2026172,72285th percentileof 1,467July 2026
Labor force participation ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year82.3%Top 16%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.5%2024 ACS 5-Year5.7%99th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+1.5%Bottom 1%of 1,467July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20266.5%Bottom 4%of 1,467July 2026
Worked from home ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year15.1%87th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/078.03.0
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 6.5% in July 2026. It has been rising, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

20222023202490k83k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $89,667 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Retail Salespersons12,230$37,330
General and Operations Managers11,140$137,230
Home Health and Personal Care Aides10,850$38,110
Fast Food and Counter Workers8,660$36,550
Registered Nurses8,370$105,660
Cashiers8,210$36,420

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

41% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 52% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.9 students for every full-time teacher across 89 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
91
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.9
across 89 of them
Math proficiency
41.0%
2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency
52.5%
2018-19 school year
The 12 largest of 91 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Trumbull High SchoolTrumbull School District2,15214.568%80%
Central High SchoolBridgeport School District1,80318.615%36%
Fairfield Ludlowe High SchoolFairfield School District1,36711.177%88%
Warren Harding High SchoolBridgeport School District1,32420.13%12%
Fairfield Warde High SchoolFairfield School District1,30810.658%79%
Stratford High SchoolStratford School District1,15013.921%45%
Achievement First Bridgeport Academy · charterAchievement First Bridgeport Academy District1,09023.251%63%
Blackham SchoolBridgeport School District1,08817.518%30%
Bassick High SchoolBridgeport School District1,07517.13%17%
Masuk High SchoolMonroe School District1,04412.972%84%
Cesar Batalla SchoolBridgeport School District99015.24%12%
Bunnell High SchoolStratford School District98212.429%54%

53.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Connecticut’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 7% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 107.0, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area is up 53% over five years, and up 5.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $8,670 a year in real estate taxes, about 2.02% of the median home value.

The typical renter household here spends 35% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,546 a month.

A median home at $428,800 costs 3.4 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $127,464, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
107.0

Prices here run about 7% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
34.8%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.4×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Median gross rent
$1,546
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$428,800
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Greater Bridgeport Planning Region’s median household income of $89,667, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2023107.0Bottom 9%of 8872023
Home price change (1 year)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+5.1%75th percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+53.3%83rd percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+84.2%33rd percentileof 1,4312026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.4Bottom 20%of 3,2182024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year65.3%16th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±1272024 ACS 5-Year126,03992nd percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$382024 ACS 5-Year$1,546Bottom 7%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,3872024 ACS 5-Year$428,80093rd percentileof 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1072024 ACS 5-Year$8,67099th percentileof 3,1722024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,7542024 ACS 5-Year$127,464Top 4%of 3,2182024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year2.02%98th percentileof 3,1262024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year34.8%Bottom 5%of 3,2172024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2062024 ACS 5-Year70266th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.6%14th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year4.5%12th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5332024 ACS 5-Year6,40684th percentileof 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

33/ 100
Ranks 1,178 of 1,453 published county profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2023 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 3% since 2020, reaching 335,666 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 729 units authorized in 2025, 14% below the prior year.

78% of the 589 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show Greater Bridgeport Planning Region lost about 0.4% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $92,231, above the $84,514 of households that moved out.

At 1.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US counties.

Units permitted
589
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.8
Bottom 33% nationally
Year over year
−39%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
77.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024336k324k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 4 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.4%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
53%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$92,231
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$84,514
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT 3,109 people · 24% of arrivals
  2. Bronx County, NY 1,341 people · 10% of arrivals
  3. Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 1,309 people · 10% of arrivals
  4. South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 1,273 people · 9.8% of arrivals
  5. Westchester County, NY 736 people · 5.7% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 2,784 people · 20% of departures
  2. South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 2,248 people · 16% of departures
  3. Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT 1,830 people · 13% of departures
  4. New York County, NY 361 people · 2.6% of departures
  5. Bronx County, NY 353 people · 2.5% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

202320242025852214
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2023 (+241%).

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 83°F and January a low of 24°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 44.1 inches, including 33.6 inches of snow.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station BRIDGEPORT SIKORSKY MEM AP, 4.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.2"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals44.1"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals33.6"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals24°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals44°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

33 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and coastal flooding, with inland flooding alone responsible for 58% of it.

HurricaneElevated
Coastal floodingHigh
Inland floodingModerate
EarthquakeModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, winter weather, ice storm, heat wave, lightning, cold wave, landslide, tornado, wildfire, hail, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). These are FEMA’s own figures for this county rather than a value derived from surrounding geographies. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, and no county figure could be attached to this page.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

7 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest John F Kennedy Intl at 48 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year91.2%Top 18%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle48 miBottom 33%of 1,463NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle7Top 5%of 1,463NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year6.6%Top 20%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
John F Kennedy IntlJFK48 mi14,511 ft
New York Stewart IntlSWF51 mi11,817 ft
Bradley IntlBDL59 mi9,510 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
48
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated September 26, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

Cities in Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT

ZIP areas

Only ZIP areas whose income or home value differ from their city’s by at least ten percent get a profile of their own, so this is a selection rather than every ZIP code in the county.