Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT
County Profile
279,971 residents. Jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 11 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable counties measured: unemployment is 5.5% and the Opportunity signal places Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region in the bottom 18%.
Rent takes 31% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.9 times what its owners earn.
A typical July reaches 80°F and a typical January falls to 23°F, on thirty-year normals.
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
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 5.5% — higher than in all but 12% of the 1,467 measured US counties.
Employment fell 4.2% over the past year, to 133,778 employed residents.
36% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 86% of measured US counties.
Median household income of $86,586 is higher than in 88% of measured US counties.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsfiling years 2022–2023 | $67,315 | 69th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftfiling years 2022–2023 | $69,824 | 76th percentileof 1,417 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$1,9372024 ACS 5-Year | $86,586 | Top 12%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$8102024 ACS 5-Year | $47,133 | Top 10%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.5% | Top 31%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±0.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.7 min | Top 50%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 35.8% | Top 14%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 75.5% | 36th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJuly 2026 | 133,778 | Top 18%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)July 2026 | −2.6% | Bottom 19%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)July 2026 | −4.2% | Bottom 4%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJuly 2026 | 141,604 | 82nd percentileof 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.2% | Top 21%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.4% | 91st percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026 | +1.3% | Bottom 2%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJuly 2026 | 5.5% | Bottom 12%of 1,467 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 11.7% | 74th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Unemployment rate
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 3,580 | $35,740 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,220 | $34,800 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,920 | $39,570 |
| Cashiers | 2,820 | $35,010 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 2,620 | $37,880 |
| Registered Nurses | 2,460 | $101,330 |
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.
43% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 56% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 11.4 students for every full-time teacher across 86 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich Free Academy | Norwich Free Academy District | 2,020 | 14.9 | 35% | 59% |
| Robert E. Fitch High School | Groton School District | 942 | 11.2 | 40% | 64% |
| East Lyme High School | East Lyme School District | 890 | 10.0 | 54% | 79% |
| Groton Middle School | Groton School District | 884 | 11.8 | — | — |
| Ledyard High School | Ledyard School District | 731 | 11.6 | 42% | 67% |
| East Lyme Middle School | East Lyme School District | 716 | 11.7 | 62% | 74% |
| Waterford High School | Waterford School District | 713 | 11.1 | 50% | 71% |
| Ella T. Grasso Technical High School | Connecticut Technical Education and Career System | 684 | 11.8 | 12% | 27% |
| Griswold Elementary School | Griswold School District | 655 | 14.9 | 55% | 48% |
| Norwich Technical High School | Connecticut Technical Education and Career System | 649 | 11.4 | 17% | 42% |
| Windham High School | Windham School District | 633 | 9.9 | 17% | 32% |
| Griswold High School | Griswold School District | 606 | 11.7 | 27% | 57% |
50.4% 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.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 1% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 100.7, 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 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Metro Area is up 61% over five years, and up 6.4% 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 $5,228 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.62% of the median home value.
The typical renter household here spends 31% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,365 a month.
A median home at $323,400 costs 2.9 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $111,365, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 1% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, 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.
The figures above are measured against Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region’s median household income of $86,586, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Metro Area’s figure2023 | 100.7 | Bottom 24%of 887 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +6.4% | 94th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +60.9% | 98th percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +107.0% | 72nd percentileof 1,431 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year | 2.9 | Bottom 32%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year | 65.1% | 15th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1102024 ACS 5-Year | 126,425 | 92nd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$262024 ACS 5-Year | $1,365 | Bottom 11%of 3,216 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$5,5592024 ACS 5-Year | $323,400 | 84th percentileof 3,219 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$1092024 ACS 5-Year | $5,228 | 97th percentileof 3,172 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$2,3022024 ACS 5-Year | $111,365 | Top 8%of 3,218 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.04%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.62% | 93rd percentileof 3,126 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 30.5% | Bottom 24%of 3,217 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±4712024 ACS 5-Year | 3,397 | 90th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 2.7% | 50th percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.7% | 23rd percentileof 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±8972024 ACS 5-Year | 10,657 | 91st percentileof 3,222 | 2024 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.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
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 2% since 2020, reaching 282,602 in 2024.
Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 422 units authorized in 2025, 13% below the prior year.
Federal tax returns show Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region gained about 0.3% 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 $67,315, close to the $69,824 of households that moved out.
At 2.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US counties.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Capitol Planning Region, CT 1,363 people · 12% of arrivals
- Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 792 people · 6.9% of arrivals
- Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT 727 people · 6.3% of arrivals
- Washington County, RI 576 people · 5.0% of arrivals
- South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 448 people · 3.9% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Capitol Planning Region, CT 1,224 people · 11% of departures
- Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT 727 people · 6.6% of departures
- Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT 656 people · 6.0% of departures
- Washington County, RI 362 people · 3.3% of departures
- South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 256 people · 2.3% 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
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 80°F and January a low of 23°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 39.3 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 39.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 23°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 80°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 42°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 62% of it.
Low or minimal exposure: ice storm, winter weather, lightning, strong wind, tornado, hail, cold wave, wildfire, 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
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Rhode Island TF Green Intl at 38 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.6% | Top 15%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 38 mi | Bottom 45%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 5 | Top 26%of 1,463 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 6.3% | Top 19%of 3,222 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island TF Green Intl | PVD | 38 mi | 8,700 ft |
| Bradley Intl | BDL | 43 mi | 9,510 ft |
| Westover ARB/Metro | CEF | 54 mi | 11,597 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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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA 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 Southeastern Connecticut 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.