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Place dossier plate
SheetCT-SHELTON-CT · Shelton, CT 41,402 pop · income 85th 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 Shelton
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Shelton on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Weslaco · lowest
54,995
Weslaco · lowest
54,995 median HH income
31.4% of the leader · rank #1
Shelton · this city
114,739
Shelton · this city
114,739 median HH income
65.5% of the leader · rank #2
Southold · near
114,743
Southold · near
114,743 median HH income
65.5% of the leader · rank #3
Braddock Heig… · near
114,750
Braddock Heig… · near
114,750 median HH income
65.5% of the leader · rank #4
Tolchester · near
114,750
Tolchester · near
114,750 median HH income
65.5% of the leader · rank #5
Haines Falls · near
114,750
Haines Falls · near
114,750 median HH income
65.5% of the leader · rank #6
Rancho Palos… · highest
175,307
Rancho Palos… · highest
175,307 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 Shelton 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: 41,402.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Shelton - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Shelton places in the 85th percentile for household income and the 74th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
85th
percentile, household income
80th
percentile, home value
86th
percentile, median rent
74th
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: Shelton, CT
Shelton is a small city in Connecticut, home to 41,402 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Shelton households earn a median of $114,739 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 3.7%. Shelton's housing stock carries a median value of $435,700, and the median resident age is 43.9 years. About 43.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 63.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 8 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 81% from five years earlier. Shelton reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 750.9 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: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Connecticut scores 103.6 (Above Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,955 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Connecticut run around $345, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 87.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Shelton'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 housing and income to comparison shortlist to work and mobility to population change to schools and households to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Shelton, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count.
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. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Shelton?
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 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 3.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Shelton?
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 Norwich (39,992 residents, $64,185 income); Manchester (36,561 residents, $76,780 income); Torrington (35,481 residents, $69,611 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Marlborough, MA (41,398 residents); Weslaco, TX (41,437 residents); Princeton, FL (41,476 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.
What does the journey to work look like in Shelton?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 76.2%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,150 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.3% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 8 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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Shelton?
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 8 public schools within the city match. 43.5% 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.
Poverty estimate
3.7%
Bachelor's degree+
43.5%
Matched public schools
8
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Shelton?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 750.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 67% 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.
Total reported rate
750.9
Violent rate
42.2
Property rate
708.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
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
42 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income A-
$114,739
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bachelor's+ share B+
43.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B
3.7%
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.
Shelton profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Violent crime: 86/100 (A) · 42 /100k
Household income: 83/100 (A-) · $114,739
Bachelor's+ share: 78/100 (B+) · 43.5%
Poverty rate: 74/100 (B) · 3.7%
Cost of living: 24/100 (F) · 103.6 index
Where Shelton sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Shelton'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 - Shelton highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Shelton, CT (this city): home $435,700, crime 751/100k
Marlborough, MA : home $485,400, crime 1,458/100k
Weslaco, TX : home $119,200, crime 3,916/100k
Milton, GA : home $712,200, crime 543/100k
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA : home $1,541,400, crime 975/100k
Norwich, CT : home $231,300, crime 1,466/100k
Manchester, CT : home $205,800, crime 2,248/100k
Torrington, CT : home $195,800, crime 1,120/100k
Middletown, CT : home $279,500, crime 1,213/100k
Milford, CT : home $377,400, crime 2,212/100k
East Hartford, CT : home $215,400, crime 1,759/100k
How does Shelton compare to other US cities?
Shelton measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income85% higher than other cities
Home value80% pricier than other cities
Median rent86% pricier than other cities
Safety74% 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, Shelton ranks #10 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 Shelton 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 Shelton near the bottom of Connecticut's cities
Among the 207 Connecticut cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Shelton ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Shelton only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#85 of 198
57th percentile in Connecticut
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 207
0th percentile in Connecticut
Median Home Value
#75 of 201
63rd percentile in Connecticut
Poverty Rate
#81 of 204
59th percentile in Connecticut
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#115 of 207
44th 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
85th percentile nationally for median household income · 74th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Shelton's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Shelton'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 Shelton's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$435,70020th percentilemore affordable than 20% 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
Shelton's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,051 of 15,516
More affordable than 35% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,790 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.8×, Shelton sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,051 of 15,516 and #1,790 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
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
$114,739Shelton, CT median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Shelton, 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 Shelton, CT.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)43.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)3.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
41,402
Median Income
$114,739
Median Home Value
$435,700
Median Age
43.9
Poverty Rate
3.7%
Labor force participation
63.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
43.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
750.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
42.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
708.7
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
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Shelton's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
40,730 residents
2021
41,587 residents
2022
41,851 residents
2023
42,242 residents
2024
42,764 residents
2025
42,880 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
8
housing units authorized
Single-Family
8
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
42
40
2
$8.2M
2020
316
59
257
$36.9M
2021
92
58
34
$13.9M
2022
74
20
54
$9.5M
2023
36
32
4
$6.9M
2024
8
8
0
$1.8M
Permit volume decreased 81% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
76.2%
Carpool
7.7%
Public Transit
1.3%
Walk
0.5%
Work from Home
13.8%
Based on 21,405 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 Shelton. 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 Shelton 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 Shelton sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Shelton 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.