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Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Connecticut?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Connecticut – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Connecticut cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Constitution State:
- Bridgeport (Photos)
- Westbrook Center
- Hartford (Photos)
- Jewett City
- New Haven (Photos)
- Waterbury (Photos)
- Rockville (Photos)
- Stafford Springs
- New London (Photos)
- New Milford (Photos)
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Weatogue is the happiest place in Connecticut.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
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How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Connecticut
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Connecticut, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Connecticut with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 98 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Connecticut’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
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1. Bridgeport
Population: 146,680
People Who Own Their Home: 35.65%
Married Adults: 33.49%
2. Westbrook Center
Population: 2,182
People Who Own Their Home: 44.13%
Married Adults: 32.99%
3. Hartford
Population: 125,211
People Who Own Their Home: 20.11%
Married Adults: 23.64%
4. Jewett City
Population: 3,488
People Who Own Their Home: 37.02%
Married Adults: 35.99%
5. New Haven
Population: 130,553
People Who Own Their Home: 25.74%
Married Adults: 28.57%
6. Waterbury
Population: 109,887
People Who Own Their Home: 39.87%
Married Adults: 36.19%
7. Rockville
Population: 7,348
People Who Own Their Home: 24.41%
Married Adults: 33.98%
8. Stafford Springs
Population: 4,734
People Who Own Their Home: 47.34%
Married Adults: 42.52%
9. New London
Population: 27,536
People Who Own Their Home: 32.03%
Married Adults: 27.18%
10. New Milford
Population: 6,568
People Who Own Their Home: 49.17%
Married Adults: 39.17%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Connecticut reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Connecticut
- These Are The 10 Dumbest Cities In Connecticut
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Connecticut
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Connecticut
City | Rank |
---|---|
Bridgeport | 1 |
Westbrook Center | 2 |
Hartford | 3 |
Jewett City | 4 |
New Haven | 5 |
Waterbury | 6 |
Rockville | 7 |
Stafford Springs | 8 |
New London | 9 |
New Milford | 10 |
New Britain | 11 |
Willimantic | 12 |
Plainfield Village | 13 |
Thompsonville | 14 |
Putnam | 15 |
Byram | 16 |
Ansonia | 17 |
Danielson | 18 |
Stamford | 19 |
Manchester | 20 |
West Haven | 21 |
Blue Hills | 22 |
East Hartford | 23 |
Winsted | 24 |
Meriden | 25 |
Norwich | 26 |
Danbury | 27 |
Moosup | 28 |
Derby | 29 |
Norwalk | 30 |
Branford Center | 31 |
Groton | 32 |
Torrington | 33 |
Greenwich | 34 |
Naugatuck | 35 |
Storrs | 36 |
Clinton | 37 |
Bristol | 38 |
Middletown | 39 |
Bethel | 40 |
Terryville | 41 |
Stratford | 42 |
East Haven | 43 |
Wallingford Center | 44 |
Portland | 45 |
Colchester | 46 |
Conning Towers Nautilus Park | 47 |
Glenville | 48 |
Deep River Center | 49 |
Broad Brook | 50 |
Pawcatuck | 51 |
Guilford Center | 52 |
Madison Center | 53 |
Cos Cob | 54 |
Noank | 55 |
Long Hill | 56 |
Waterford | 57 |
Milford | 58 |
Hazardville | 59 |
Mystic | 60 |
Darien | 61 |
Heritage Village | 62 |
Westport | 63 |
Northwest Harwinton | 64 |
Windsor Locks | 65 |
Oxoboxo River | 66 |
Pemberwick | 67 |
Collinsville | 68 |
Salmon Brook | 69 |
Shelton | 70 |
Niantic | 71 |
Oakville | 72 |
Watertown | 73 |
East Hampton | 74 |
Lake Pocotopaug | 75 |
West Hartford | 76 |
Ridgefield | 77 |
Riverside | 78 |
Coventry Lake | 79 |
Sherwood Manor | 80 |
Trumbull | 81 |
Essex Village | 82 |
Wethersfield | 83 |
Old Greenwich | 84 |
Newington | 85 |
Southwood Acres | 86 |
Orange | 87 |
Crystal Lake | 88 |
Glastonbury Center | 89 |
North Haven | 90 |
Cheshire Village | 91 |
Kensington | 92 |
Old Saybrook Center | 93 |
Old Mystic | 94 |
Simsbury Center | 95 |
Durham | 96 |
West Simsbury | 97 |
Weatogue | 98 |