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Place dossier plate
SheetCT-NORWALK-CT · Norwalk, CT 91,375 pop · income 81st 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 Norwalk
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Norwalk on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Hartford · lowest
45,300
Hartford · lowest
45,300 median HH income
31.6% of the leader · rank #1
San Marcos · near
105,286
San Marcos · near
105,286 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #2
Alma · near
105,300
Alma · near
105,300 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #3
Norwalk · this city
105,301
Norwalk · this city
105,301 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #4
Hamel · near
105,313
Hamel · near
105,313 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #5
Siglerville · near
105,313
Siglerville · near
105,313 median HH income
73.4% of the leader · rank #6
Kirkland · highest
143,533
Kirkland · highest
143,533 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 Norwalk 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: 91,375.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Norwalk - the verdict
Norwalk ranks in the 81st percentile for household income and the 43rd percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
81st
percentile, household income
86th
percentile, home value
86th
percentile, median rent
43rd
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: Norwalk, CT
Connecticut's Norwalk is a small city, with 91,375 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Norwalk report a median income of $105,301 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 8.1%. Typical homes in Norwalk are valued around $535,000, and the median resident age is 40.2 years. Educational attainment runs 44.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 66.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 339 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 75% from five years earlier. Norwalk reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 1589.5 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Connecticut carries a cost-of-living premium: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Connecticut at 103.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Above Average). 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 Norwalk report an average commute of 23.4 minutes, with 67.1% driving alone and 13.2% 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 Norwalk'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 work and mobility to population change to schools and households to reported crime to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Norwalk, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, matched public-school count, local building permits, annual population history, 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.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Norwalk?
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.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 67.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 23.4 minutes.
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +3,582 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +3.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 339 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
The NCES join finds 23 public schools within the city match. 44.6% 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.
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.
Which cities make useful reference points for Norwalk?
Within Connecticut, the closest population matches are Danbury (86,086 residents, $83,422 income); New Britain (73,301 residents, $57,036 income); Waterbury (114,356 residents, $51,642 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Santa Monica, CA (91,535 residents); Kirkland, WA (91,614 residents); Nashua, NH (91,131 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.
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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Norwalk?
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.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1589.5 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 30% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1504.5
Violent rate
85.0
Total reported rate
1589.5
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Norwalk?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 8.1%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$105,301
Home value
$535,000
Value / income
5.1×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
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.
Household income B+
$105,301
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share B+
44.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B
85 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Poverty rate D
8.1%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
Norwalk profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 79/100 (B+) · $105,301
Bachelor's+ share: 79/100 (B+) · 44.6%
Violent crime: 74/100 (B) · 85 /100k
Poverty rate: 47/100 (D) · 8.1%
Cost of living: 24/100 (F) · 103.6 index
Where Norwalk sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Norwalk'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 - Norwalk highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Norwalk, CT (this city): home $535,000, crime 1,590/100k
Santa Monica, CA : home $1,810,200, crime 5,568/100k
Kirkland, WA : home $1,022,500, crime 2,073/100k
Nashua, NH : home $373,100, crime 1,422/100k
Chino, CA : home $641,500, crime 2,511/100k
South Gate, CA : home $608,500, crime 4,125/100k
Danbury, CT : home $381,600, crime 1,519/100k
New Britain, CT : home $207,300, crime 2,347/100k
Waterbury, CT : home $185,400, crime 3,241/100k
West Hartford, CT : home $391,200, crime 2,796/100k
Hartford, CT : home $217,200, crime 3,361/100k
Bristol, CT : home $252,300, crime 1,016/100k
How does Norwalk compare to other US cities?
Here's how Norwalk stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income81% higher than other cities
Home value86% pricier than other cities
Median rent86% pricier than other cities
Safety43% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Connecticut alone, Norwalk ranks #29 of 47 Connecticut cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Norwalk 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 Norwalk near the bottom of Connecticut's cities
Among the 207 Connecticut cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Norwalk ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Norwalk only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#97 of 198
51st percentile in Connecticut
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 207
0th percentile in Connecticut
Median Home Value
#54 of 201
73rd percentile in Connecticut
Poverty Rate
#43 of 204
79th percentile in Connecticut
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#112 of 207
45th 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
81st percentile nationally for median household income · 43rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Norwalk's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Norwalk'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 Norwalk's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$535,00014th percentilemore affordable than 14% 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
Norwalk's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,038 of 15,516
More affordable than 16% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#464 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 5.1×, Norwalk sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,038 of 15,516 and #464 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
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
$105,301Norwalk, CT median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Norwalk, 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 Norwalk, CT.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)44.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)8.1%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)66.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
91,375
Median Income
$105,301
Median Home Value
$535,000
Median Age
40.2
Poverty Rate
8.1%
Labor force participation
66.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
44.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1589.5
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
85.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1504.5
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
23
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Norwalk's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
90,926 residents
2021
91,499 residents
2022
91,778 residents
2023
93,204 residents
2024
93,716 residents
2025
94,508 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
339
housing units authorized
Single-Family
27
detached homes
Multifamily
312
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
194
18
176
$63.7M
2020
121
15
106
$42.1M
2021
149
25
124
$54.9M
2022
67
44
23
$31.9M
2023
36
26
10
$26.2M
2024
339
27
312
$60.4M
Permit volume increased 75% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
23.4 minutes
Drive Alone
67.1%
Carpool
8.2%
Public Transit
7.0%
Walk
2.9%
Work from Home
13.2%
Other
1.6%
Based on 49,534 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 Norwalk. 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 Norwalk 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 Norwalk sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Norwalk 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.