Connecticut: The Best and Worst Cities for Crime

Statewide Crime Trends in Connecticut

Connecticut finds itself in the enviable position of having below-average rates of both violent crimes and property crimes. In fact, the state has the third-lowest rate of violent crimes; only Maine and New Hampshire, both also in the Northeast, have lower violent crime rates than Connecticut.

Even in larger metro areas, which tend to have higher crime rates than more sparsely populated communities, Connecticut cities aren’t especially crime-prone. In fact, among the 300-plus metro areas with available data, none of Connecticut’s biggest metro areas even make the top 25 for any type of property crime or violent crime.

Property Crime in Connecticut

To calculate property crime rates in Connecticut, we looked at larceny-theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft incidents.

• The total property crime rate per 100,000 people in Connecticut is 1,494, which is about 24 percent below the overall U.S. rate of 1,954. That rate ranks the state 39th among all 50 states for its property crime rate.
• Larceny continues to be the most common property crime in Connecticut, as it is everywhere else in the country, with just under 1,200 incidents per 100,000 people:

Violent Crime in Connecticut

Violent crimes include murder/non-negligent homicide, aggravated assault, rape, and robbery.

• Connecticut has the nation’s third-lowest overall violent crime rate, 150 per 100,000 people.
• The U.S. overall has a violent crime rate of 381 per 100,000 people, which means Connecticut’s rate is more than 60 percent lower. Only Maine (103) and New Hampshire (126) have lower rates of violent crime.
• Aggravated assault is the most common type of violent crime in Connecticut and across the country.

Our data

Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area. City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City. The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.

Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety.