The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Connecticut For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Connecticut For 2022

Not just the home of The Mark Twain House & Museum, Hartford is also known as the "Insurance Capital of the World." However, "Murder Capital of Connecticut" would be a more fitting nickname. This city ranks second highest in the state for it.

Along with the 23 people that lost their lives in 2020, plenty of others were hurt during the 874 aggravated assaults that happened in Hartford.

With this tally, it comes as no surprise that the violent crime rate here is higher than that of Connecticut. If you thought things couldn't get worse, think again. The state capital also ranks as a leader in the number of cases of arson. Residents can blame that on the 55 that occurred in 2020.

The numbers do not lie when it comes to the dangers of New Haven. The area can thank its criminals for helping it earn the title of most dangerous city in Connecticut for 2022 after the community ranked lowest in 2021.

Property crime seems to have been their specialty -- a staggering 4,575 property crimes were recorded in 2020. If that is not enough to keep you up at night maybe the thought of the 547 burglaries that occurred will. Fingers crossed the Yale University Art Gallery was not the victim of one.

People making off with the possessions of others was not all the New Haven Police Department dealt with. Their community was also rattled by a whopping 922 violent crimes. And as the number 1 city in the state for total crime, the officers here had their work cut out for them.

Built at the conjunction of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers, Derby has a history that dates back to at least to 1642. The town provided the home for a serial killer -- Lydia Sherman, "The Derby Poisoner," who murdered three husbands and eight children during the 1860s and 1870s.

Even with this gruesome past, murder really isn't a huge problem in Derby these days. Rather, property crime represents a bigger danger. The town suffered 369 of these violations last year, all in a community of just 12,281 residents. This gives it the number 3 highest rate of property crime in the state.

Sticky fingers are abundant in Waterbury. Just ask the area's 1,951 victims of larceny in 2020. That number is almost as shocking as the fact that there is a one in 37 chance that a property crime will happen to you while in this city.

Those startling odds are not the only reason you should be concerned. Violent crime is an issue in Waterbury as well. Though not as many were committed here as in other Connecticut cities, 400 reports are nothing to laugh at.

The city's criminal activity may be hard to overlook, but you can at least try and get your mind off it by visiting Fulton Park.

You could argue that life in New Britain is looking up. The town has moved several pots from its previous ranking in 2021. However, 2020 was not all sunshine and rainbows for this community in central Connecticut. The crime rate there is quite a bit higher than the national average after all.

When it came to violent crime, 195 aggravated assaults made up most of the 297 incidents that were recorded.

If you managed to avoid bodily harm in New Britain, it might have been your car that criminals got to -- thieves made off with 272 of them. That is a real bummer if you were planning to use one of those sets of wheels to visit sights like Little Poland.

Located in Hartford County, this town also moved up significantly on our list. The community ended up as the sixth most dangerous city in the state for 2022 but in 2021 it was in fifth lowest place.

The change is partly due to the 1,719 property crimes that occurred. Those also help explain its fourth highest place ranking for property crime in Connecticut. Based on these statistics, it seems like people here would prefer to keep the books they borrow from the Manchester Public Library than return them, but that is just a hunch.

Let's just say you do not live in Hamden if you like feeling so safe you would leave your doors unlocked. Considering that the town ranks seventh highest for violent crime, it is more like the kind of place that makes you want to get a guard dog. If you do, at least you can enjoy walks on the Farmington Canal State Park Trail together.

We should probably mention that the community ranks 11th highest in the state for total crime too. If you did not already believe things were amok, consider the fact that Hamden used to be the fourth most dangerous city in Connecticut but is now the seventh.

Bloomfield's population may be on the smaller side, but the community still has plenty of crime. Residents and visitors have learned the hard way that their valuables need to be extra secure. People here were victims of 451 larcenies, 63 car thefts, and 32 burglaries recorded in 2020.

Those are not the only reasons Bloomfield landed a spot on this list. Scarily enough, 2 of the 35 violent crimes that took place here were murders. So you might want to stay alert on an evening visit to Penwood State Park.

Though the numbers so far say otherwise, you might be surprised to know that crime appears to be changing in this town too. Bloomfield is the eighth most dangerous city in Connecticut for 2022 but was the eighth lowest in 2021.

You will find Meriden located between New Haven and Hartford. A population of 59,238 residents makes up this city.

And a decent number of people in this community are comfortable with the idea of theft. Criminals carried out 927 larcenies in 2020.

Sadly, things may not improve any time soon. The fact that the city went from being the tenth most dangerous in Connecticut in 2021 to the ninth in 2022 does not bode well for its future. We just hope you can still find a way to enjoy an event at the Meriden Green while you are there.

Hartford is the capital city of Connecticut -- also known as the "Insurance Capital of the World." Head a little east and you can really put that insurance to good use. That's because East Hartford represents the number 10 most dangerous spot in Connecticut.

As you're filling out those forms and pricing brokers, concentrate on securing car insurance first. Park in East Hartford and you may not see your vehicle again. In a city of 49,720 residents, the area reported 221 car thefts in a year. To put it in perspective, that figure gave the community the number 7.0 highest rate of car thefts in the state.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Connecticut FAQs

Is Connecticut a dangerous state?

No, Connecticut is not a dangerous state as it ranks as the #8 safest state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in connecticut ranks 47th highest in the United States -- 53.18% better than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Constitution State ranks 37th highest in the United States -- 20.08% better than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Bridgeport, CT a dangerous city?

No, Bridgeport is not a dangerous city. Bridgeport ranks as the #110 safest out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Bridgeport might be considered safe you still need to be aware of where you are.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Bridgeport ranks 119th highest in America -- 4.63% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 24highest in the United States -- 34.42% better than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.