06854 — Norwalk, Connecticut

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 06854. Its median household income runs 19% below Norwalk as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

50out of 100
Area Score
Bottom 22% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
Opportunity2,711th of 3,116 ZIP areas measured35
SchoolsTop 35% of 3,047 ZIP areas measured61
GrowthTop 41% of 3,124 ZIP areas measured55
Housing affordability2,309th of 3,112 ZIP areas measured55
Climate2,032nd of 3,127 ZIP areas measured65
Physical resilience2,364th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured32
Access2,275th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured83
Economic stabilityTop 40% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured60
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 5.0% and the Opportunity signal places 06854 in the bottom 13%. The unemployment rate is published for Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, rather than for 06854 alone.

In the public schools here, 36% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 13.6 students for every teacher.

371 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 6% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, rather than for 06854 alone.

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
32,118
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$86,679
Top 30% nationally
Density
6,679/sq mi
4.8 sq mi of land
Median age
37.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Norwalk
Connecticut
Nearest major airport
JFK
36 mi · John F Kennedy Intl
Median home value
$460,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, is 5.0% — higher than in all but 27% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, fell 4.2% over the past year, to 50,399 employed residents.

35% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 74% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsWestern Connecticut Planning Region, CT’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$185,65899th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftWestern Connecticut Planning Region, CT’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$152,62299th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$12,3822024 ACS 5-Year$86,679Top 30%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$4,0122024 ACS 5-Year$45,457Top 27%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year12.9%Bottom 38%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year27.8 minTop 50%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year35.5%Top 26%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year63.4%17th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentNorwalk, CT’s figureJuly 202650,399Top 48%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Norwalk, CT’s figureJuly 2026−4.4%Bottom 6%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Norwalk, CT’s figureJuly 2026−4.2%Bottom 3%of 3,127July 2026
Labor forceNorwalk, CT’s figureJuly 202653,05252nd percentileof 3,127July 2026
Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year86.6%Top 14%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageBridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$84,700Top 10%of 2,7602025 OEWS
Median annual wageBridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$61,470Top 9%of 2,7602025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year8.8%97th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Norwalk, CT’s figureJuly 2026+1.3%Bottom 2%of 3,127July 2026
Unemployment rateNorwalk, CT’s figureJuly 20265.0%Bottom 27%of 3,127July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year10.4%54th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202487k74k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $86,679 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.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Norwalk, CT, the city containing this ZIP code.

36% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 52% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.6 students for every full-time teacher across 5 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
5
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.6
across all schools here
Math proficiency
36.4%
Top 48% in Connecticut
Reading proficiency
52.3%
Top 35% in Connecticut
All 5 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Brien McMahon High SchoolNorwalk School District1,73914.730%49%
Brookside Elementary SchoolNorwalk School District40813.242%44%
Center for Global StudiesNorwalk School District2839.455%85%
Side By Side Charter School · charterSide By Side Charter School District23616.952%52%
South Norwalk Elementary SchoolNorwalk School District17911.2——

52.5% 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 $6,460 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.40% of the median home value.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $2,049 a month.

A median home at $460,500 costs 4.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $108,051, 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
31.7%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Median gross rent
$2,049
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$460,500
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 06854’s median household income of $86,679, 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 21%of 2,7372023
Home price change (1 year)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+5.1%81st percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+53.3%84th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+84.2%33rd percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.42024 ACS 5-Year4.3Bottom 15%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year47.1%8th percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±5852024 ACS 5-Year12,58888th percentileof 33,4602024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$1222024 ACS 5-Year$2,049Bottom 7%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$19,3772024 ACS 5-Year$460,50085th percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$2932024 ACS 5-Year$6,46094th percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$10,3002024 ACS 5-Year$108,051Top 23%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.09%2024 ACS 5-Year1.40%79th percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year31.7%Bottom 31%of 26,2472024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1262024 ACS 5-Year14381st percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.1%51st percentileof 32,9612024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year5.4%39th percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2942024 ACS 5-Year81984th percentileof 33,7722024 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

55/ 100
Top 41% of 3,124 published ZIP profiles

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.

91% of the 371 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. The multifamily share is published for Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, rather than for 06854 alone.

At 4.0 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Norwalk, CT, which contains 06854, rather than for 06854 alone.

Units permitted
371
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.0
Top 40% nationally
Year over year
−6%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
90.8%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.6%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
81%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$185,658
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$152,622
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Westchester County, NY 3,499 people · 15% of arrivals
  2. New York County, NY 2,394 people · 10% of arrivals
  3. Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT 1,830 people · 7.9% of arrivals
  4. Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 1,003 people · 4.3% of arrivals
  5. Bronx County, NY 950 people · 4.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT 3,109 people · 12% of departures
  2. Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT 1,990 people · 7.5% of departures
  3. New York County, NY 1,941 people · 7.3% of departures
  4. Westchester County, NY 1,475 people · 5.6% of departures
  5. South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT 1,072 people · 4.1% 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. This is the figure for Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Norwalk, CT, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

5 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 22°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 47.8 inches.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station WESTCHESTER CO AP, 14.6 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals47.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals22°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals83°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 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

32 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 71% of it.

Inland floodingElevated
HurricaneElevated
EarthquakeModerate
Coastal floodingModerate
LandslideModerate

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

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. 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. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Norwalk carries the figure where its 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

6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest John F Kennedy Intl at 36 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year90.9%Top 42%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle36 miBottom 24%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle6Top 26%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year7.7%Top 49%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
John F Kennedy IntlJFK36 mi14,511 ft
New York Stewart IntlSWF45 mi11,817 ft
Newark Liberty IntlEWR47 mi9,999 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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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
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
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 October 8, 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.

06854 vs Norwalk

How this ZIP area compares with Norwalk as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.

06854
Norwalk
Median household income: Norwalk is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$86,679
vs
$107,616
Per capita income: Norwalk is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$45,457
vs
$61,397
Population density
6,679/sq mi
vs
4,028/sq mi
Median home value
$460,500
vs
$558,000
Median gross rent: 06854 is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$2,049
vs
$2,073
Homeownership rate
47.1%
vs
55.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher: Norwalk is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
35.5%
vs
44.8%
Poverty rate: Norwalk is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
12.9%
vs
9.3%
Median age
37.7
vs
40.6

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.