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Place dossier plate
SheetCT-BRISTOL-CT · Bristol, CT 61,129 pop · income 65th pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Bristol
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bristol on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
New Britain · lowest
57,036
New Britain · lowest
57,036 median HH income
45.4% of the leader · rank #1
Boothwyn · near
83,444
Boothwyn · near
83,444 median HH income
66.4% of the leader · rank #2
Bell Buckle · near
83,452
Bell Buckle · near
83,452 median HH income
66.4% of the leader · rank #3
Rocky Point · near
83,456
Rocky Point · near
83,456 median HH income
66.4% of the leader · rank #4
Bristol · this city
83,458
Bristol · this city
83,458 median HH income
66.4% of the leader · rank #5
West Point · near
83,475
West Point · near
83,475 median HH income
66.5% of the leader · rank #6
West Hartford · highest
125,616
West Hartford · highest
125,616 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bristol on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 61,129.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bristol - the verdict
Nationally, Bristol sits in the 65th percentile for household income and the 63rd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
65th
percentile, household income
56th
percentile, home value
86th
percentile, median rent
63rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bristol, CT
Bristol is a small city in Connecticut, home to 61,129 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Bristol brings in $83,458 a year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.0%. Home values in Bristol run a median of $252,300, and the median resident age is 38.2 years. About 30.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 65.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 37 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Stable), down 5% from five years earlier. Bristol reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 1016.2 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Connecticut carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 103.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,955 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Connecticut's average monthly utility costs around $345 (state average). Workers in Bristol report an average commute of 22.1 minutes, with 77.4% driving alone and 9.8% working from home. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 87.6 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bristol's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to population change to schools and households to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bristol, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Bristol?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1016.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 55% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,597 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +2.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 37 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 14 public schools within the city match. 30.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Which cities make useful reference points for Bristol?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Connecticut, the closest population matches are Meriden (60,418 residents, $68,617 income); West Hartford (63,809 residents, $125,616 income); West Haven (55,147 residents, $73,566 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Jupiter, FL (61,097 residents); Woodland, CA (61,256 residents); Santa Cruz, CA (60,953 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Bristol?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.4%. The reported mean trip to work is 22.1 minutes.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
77.4%
Work from home
9.8%
Public transit
0.5%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 32,367 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Bristol?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.0%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.0×
Home value
$252,300
Household income
$83,458
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above median income · poverty 5.0% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
103.6 (US=100)
High cost · BEA RPP 2024, Connecticut average
C
City profile score · Bristol, CT
59/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Violent crime A-
58 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate B-
5.0%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income C+
$83,458
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share C
30.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Cost of living F
103.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bristol profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 82/100 (A-) · 58 /100k
Poverty rate: 65/100 (B-) · 5.0%
Household income: 63/100 (C+) · $83,458
Bachelor's+ share: 59/100 (C) · 30.5%
Cost of living: 24/100 (F) · 103.6 index
Where Bristol sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bristol's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Bristol highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Bristol, CT (this city): home $252,300, crime 1,016/100k
Woodland, CA : home $505,200, crime 1,693/100k
Santa Cruz, CA : home $1,180,100, crime 3,128/100k
Montebello, CA : home $660,700, crime 3,108/100k
La Mesa, CA : home $738,800, crime 1,795/100k
Pico Rivera, CA : home $621,400, crime 2,485/100k
Meriden, CT : home $221,600, crime 1,817/100k
West Hartford, CT : home $391,200, crime 2,796/100k
West Haven, CT : home $265,200, crime 1,343/100k
East Hartford, CT : home $215,400, crime 1,759/100k
Milford, CT : home $377,400, crime 2,212/100k
New Britain, CT : home $207,300, crime 2,347/100k
How does Bristol compare to other US cities?
Bristol measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income65% higher than other cities
Home value56% pricier than other cities
Median rent86% pricier than other cities
Safety63% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Connecticut, Bristol ranks #16 of 47 Connecticut cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bristol against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Connecticut only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Connecticut-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bristol near the bottom of Connecticut's cities
Among the 207 Connecticut cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bristol ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bristol only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#134 of 198
32nd percentile in Connecticut
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 207
0th percentile in Connecticut
Median Home Value
#155 of 201
23rd percentile in Connecticut
Poverty Rate
#70 of 204
66th percentile in Connecticut
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#156 of 207
25th percentile in Connecticut
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Connecticut only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
65th percentile nationally for median household income · 63rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bristol's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bristol's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Bristol's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$252,30044th percentilemore affordable than 44% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. 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 U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Bristol's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#6,814 of 15,516
More affordable than 56% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#120 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 3.0×, Bristol sits in the moderate band:
national rank #6,814 of 15,516 and #120 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$83,458Bristol, CT median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bristol, CT median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bristol, CT.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)30.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)65.4%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
61,129
Median Income
$83,458
Median Home Value
$252,300
Median Age
38.2
Poverty Rate
5.0%
Labor force participation
65.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
30.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1016.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
58.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
958.1
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
14
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bristol's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
60,744 residents
2021
61,129 residents
2022
61,415 residents
2023
61,790 residents
2024
62,125 residents
2025
62,341 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
37
housing units authorized
Single-Family
37
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.6
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
39
39
0
$6.8M
2020
94
60
34
$14.0M
2021
94
94
0
$19.8M
2022
37
37
0
$9.8M
2023
52
52
0
$12.6M
2024
37
37
0
$9.6M
Permit volume decreased 5% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
22.1 minutes
Drive Alone
77.4%
Carpool
9.8%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
1.8%
Work from Home
9.8%
Other
0.7%
Based on 32,367 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Connecticut statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $345
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Connecticut at $345 (electricity about $175 , water and sewer about $60 ).
These are Connecticut statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bristol. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Connecticut's BEA cost-of-living index is 103.6 (Above Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bristol is $1,955/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Connecticut statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 87.6 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Connecticut statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bristol sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bristol compares to similar-size Connecticut cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.