Connecticut’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Despite an increase in violent crime year over year, Connecticut still boasts the fourth-lowest violent crime rate in the country. The Constitution State also claims the ninth-lowest property crime rate in the US—two spots better than last year. 

Connecticut’s violent crime rate of 2.0 incidents per 1,000 people represents a 25% increase compared to the previous year—but it's still the fourth lowest in the nation. The Constitution State's property crime rate held steady at 15.1 incidents per 1,000 year over year, coming in as the ninth lowest property crime rate in the country. Despite such stellar stats, fewer people told us they feel safe in Connecticut compared to last year—51% versus 59%.

Connecticut’s property crime rate of 15.1 is one of the lowest in the country and 27% lower than the national average of 20.7. The safest cities in Connecticut come in even lower, with a collective 7.9 property crime incidents per 1,000 people.

Despite a steady property crime rate year over year, our survey results showed a 24%  increase in concern about property crime and a 12% increase in personal experiences with property crime in The Constitution State. 

• Over half (56%) of Connecticut respondents told us they're highly concerned about property crime, up from 45% last year.
• 29% of Connecticut residents claim to have experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which represents a 12% increase compared to the previous year. 
• 43% of Connecticuters reported having experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is higher than the national average of 34% and represents a 19% increase year over year.
• Of the Connecticut residents who use some form of property protection (77%), nearly 4 in 10 (38%) report using a security camera and 36% rely on security systems.
• 23% of Connecticut residents reported taking no steps to prevent package theft, but of those who do, 32% reported using a doorbell camera.

Connecticut’s violent crime rate of 2.0 represents a 25% increase year over year. It's also 49% lower than the national average of 4.0.

Not surprisingly, only 5% of Connecticut residents claimed to have experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which represents a 62% decrease year over year. 

• Violent crime makes up 12% of all crime in Connecticut, which is 4 percentage points lower than the national average.
• Robbery accounts for 46% of violent crime in Connecticut, which is 180% above the national average.
• Surprisingly, the safest cities reported 160% more rapes collectively, than the state as a whole. Rape made up 24% of all violent crime in the safest cities versus 9% statewide.
• 31% of Connecticut residents use some form of personal protection (US 36%), and pepper spray and pocket knives are the most popular choices at 42%.

• 62% of Connecticuters worry about gun violence, a startling 63% increase from last year (US 53%).
• 8% told us they had an experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, a drop from 13% last year (12% US).
• Of the Connecticut residents who use some form of personal protection, 23% carry concealed firearms (US 41%).
• Connecticut saw 1 mass shooting event in 2023—down from 3 in 2022.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 46 Connecticut cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
• The safest city in Connecticut, Ridgefield, holds on to the top spot for the second consecutive year. 
• Newtown—jumped up one spot to number 2 this year.
• Of Connecticut’s 10 safest cities, only Ridgefield, Wallingford, New Milford, and Torrington experienced a decrease in violent crime rates compared to the previous reporting year.
• Ridgefield was the only city to report 0 violent crimes—and the only city to report fewer than 100 property crimes, coming in with 34.
• 2 of Connecticut’s safest cities reported fewer than 10 burglaries: Ridgefield (2) and Simsbury (9).
• The Town of Groton saw the biggest jump year over year—moving from 17 to 10 this year. Its violent crime rate fell from 1.4 to 0.7 year over year.

• Best Home Security Systems
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• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.