While big cities like Bridgeport offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Bridgeport. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Bridgeport without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Bridgeport are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Bridgeport area.
Here are the 10 best suburbs to live around Bridgeport for 2023:
What’s the best suburb of Bridgeport? Lloyd Harbor ranks as the best suburb of Bridgeport for 2023 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Lloyd Harbor, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Bridgeport ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Connecticut:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Bridgeport Suburbs To Live For 2023
/10
Population: 3,577
Median Income: $215,929
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Lloyd Harbor: Data | Real Estate
Lloyd Harbor is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Bridgeport area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Lloyd Harbor.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $215,929 a year, which is the highest in the Bridgeport region. And only 1.41% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,396,700 each.
/10
Population: 6,780
Median Income: $119,760
Unemployment Rate: 2.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Bayville: Data | Real Estate
Bayville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Bridgeport for 2023.
It ranks 6th for incomes in the area and only 2.55% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
/10
Population: 7,360
Median Income: $122,250
Unemployment Rate: 1.1%
Poverty Rate: 12.3%
More on Northport: Data | Real Estate
Here in Northport, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Bridgeport metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Northport.
/10
Population: 7,951
Median Income: $121,270
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Port Jefferson: Data | Real Estate
Port Jefferson ranks as the 4th best suburb of Bridgeport for 2023.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Port Jefferson and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 28,635
Median Income: $142,665
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 4.0%
More on Harrison: Data | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Harrison.
Harrison gets kudos for having the 2nd most expensive homes in the Bridgeport area, where houses sell for an average of $894,000. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 11,110
Median Income: $110,804
Unemployment Rate: 4.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.7%
More on Lake Grove: Data | Real Estate
Lake Grove is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 4.67%.
According to online reports, Lake Grove is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Bridgeport area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 9,909
Median Income: $179,205
Unemployment Rate: 9.5%
Poverty Rate: 5.3%
More on Rye Brook: Data | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Rye Brook.
Rye Brook schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 27.7 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Milford is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 2.76% of people lack insurance, good for 5th in the area.
/10
Population: 3,541
Median Income: $100,771
Unemployment Rate: 1.9%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Islandia: Data | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Islandia?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 40,944
Median Income: $103,647
Unemployment Rate: 5.0%
Poverty Rate: 6.0%
More on Shelton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2023 is Shelton.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Bridgeport for 2023
Figuring out the best suburbs around Bridgeport was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2017-2021 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Bridgeport.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 22 suburbs to evaluate around Bridgeport.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 22 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Bridgeport.” We’re lookin’ at you, Lloyd Harbor.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2023. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Bridgeport suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Bridgeport ‘Burbs of 2023
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Bridgeport but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Connecticut reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Best Bridgeport Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lloyd Harbor, CT | 3,577 |
| 2 | Bayville, CT | 6,780 |
| 3 | Northport, CT | 7,360 |
| 4 | Port Jefferson, CT | 7,951 |
| 5 | Harrison, CT | 28,635 |
| 6 | Lake Grove, CT | 11,110 |
| 7 | Rye Brook, CT | 9,909 |
| 8 | Milford, CT | 50,694 |
| 9 | Islandia, CT | 3,541 |
| 10 | Shelton, CT | 40,944 |
| 11 | Stamford, CT | 134,820 |
| 12 | Mount Kisco, CT | 10,904 |
| 13 | Norwalk, CT | 90,821 |
| 14 | Port Chester, CT | 31,317 |
| 15 | Naugatuck, CT | 31,586 |
| 16 | Derby, CT | 12,387 |
| 17 | West Haven, CT | 55,518 |
| 18 | Brewster, CT | 2,505 |
| 19 | Danbury, CT | 86,197 |
| 20 | Ansonia, CT | 18,945 |
| 21 | New Haven, CT | 133,874 |
| 22 | Waterbury, CT | 113,783 |