Census-designated place · Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut

New Preston, Connecticut

New Preston is a census-designated place in Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, part of the Torrington, CT metro area. It has 1,146 residents. New Preston, Connecticut has a quality-of-life score of 84 out of 100 (very high), ranking #2,571 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Connecticut it ranks #68 of 160 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), arts, entertainment and recreation (high) and public transit commuters (high). It ranks worst on high ozone days (high), child care cost burden (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (high).

84Very high

Quality-of-life score: #2,571 of 15,651 cities and towns
Connecticut: #68 of 160 in CT
Population: 1,146 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 156.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 0952770

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety80#3,099/15,637
Economy36#10,007/15,631
Housing38#9,290/14,977
Health87#1,987/15,609
Healthcare76#3,749/15,650
Environment43#8,877/15,453
Education84#2,467/15,649
Infrastructure91#1,447/15,650
Community84#2,475/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,315/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where New Preston, Connecticut ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Northwest Hills Planning Region value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Students per teacher · low10.5×
97/100Connecticut 11.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsNorthwest Hills Planning Region value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high9.4 /10k
94/100Connecticut 6.2 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNorthwest Hills Planning Region value
Public transit commuters · high3.9%
91/100Connecticut 3.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Public libraries · high1.8 /10k
90/100Connecticut 0.6 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesNorthwest Hills Planning Region value
Adult obesity · low26.8%
89/100Connecticut 30.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Bachelor's degree or higher · high57.8%
89/100Connecticut 42.5%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

High ozone days · high7 days
11/100Connecticut 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Northwest Hills Planning Region value
Child care cost burden · high38.4%
12/100Connecticut 39.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Northwest Hills Planning Region value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.479
15/100Connecticut 0.499United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Home price to income ratio · high5.9×
16/100Connecticut 3.8×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Days with unhealthy air · high2.4%
17/100Connecticut 3.5%2025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEstimated from related areas or data (see the source notes)Northwest Hills Planning Region value
Natural hazard risk · high81.4
17/100Connecticut 69.12025Federal Emergency Management AgencyNorthwest Hills Planning Region value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
856 (2015-2019) → 1,146 (2020-2024)
+34%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
70.3% (2015-2019) → 7.4% (2020-2024)
−63 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
0.0% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+51 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
42.4% (2015-2019) → 57.8% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Poverty rateWorsening
3.6% (2015-2019) → 15.8% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.8× (2015-2019) → 5.9× (2020-2024)
+58%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, New Preston, Connecticut improved on 2 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Bachelor's++15 points42.4% → 57.8%
Broadband+10 points88.3% → 98.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of New Preston, Connecticut between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	31.4 min2015-2019	28.7 min2020-2024	−2.8 min	Within the margin of error	77%
Bachelor's degree or higher	42.4%2015-2019	57.8%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	97%
Broadband subscriptions	88.3%2015-2019	98.6%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	61%
Effective property tax rate	0.74%2015-2019	0.77%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	12%
High school diploma or higher	98.6%2015-2019	96.7%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Home price to income ratio	3.8×2015-2019	5.9×2020-2024	+2.2×	Within the margin of error	3%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5402015-2019	0.4792020-2024	−0.061	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$100,6522015-2019	$76,4062020-2024	−24%	Within the margin of error	1%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like New Preston, Connecticut five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of New Preston, Connecticut in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, New Preston, Connecticut itself moved −2.9 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,146 residents (±359)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 men (−8.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,146 residents (±359)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

White86%984
Black1.4%†16
Hispanic or Latino9.0%†103

Education

912 residents (±254)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

No high school diploma3.3%†30
High school or GED23%†208
Some college8.7%

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

424 households (±118)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $25k16%†68
$25k–50k19%†79
$50k–75k13%†56
$75k–100k14%†58
$100k–150k3.1%†13
$150k–200k11%†46
$200k or more25%†104

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (−24.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

424 households (±118)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Own85%361
Rent15%†63

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

27 households (±34)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $75093%†25
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,5000.0%0

Home values

361 homes (±97)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under $150k0.0%0
$150k–250k1.7%†6
$250k–400k32%†114

Age of homes

592 homes (±120)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

2010 or later7.1%†42
2000–200910.0%†59
1980–199915%†

Size of homes

592 homes (±120)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Studio1.4%†8
1 bedroom2.5%†15
2 bedrooms34%†202

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

561 workers (±201)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Drive alone41%†231
Carpool6.1%†34
Public transit3.9%†22
Walk9.6%†54
Bike0.0%0
Work from home32%†181
Other7.0%†39

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−38.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

380 workers (±153)

New Preston, Connecticut
Connecticut share

Under 15 min42%†158
15–29 min14%†53
30–44 min20%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Torrington, CT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Northwest Hills Planning Region, the county holding most of New Preston's residents.

Northwest Hills Planning Region has 2,909 employer establishments, 256 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.05× Connecticut's), with 31,833 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,625. The Census Bureau also counts 11,608 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,909; 11,608 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 256; US 248 · Connecticut 245
Paid employees: 31,833
Average annual pay: $56,625; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Northwest Hills Planning Region by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	323	28.5	1.84×More than typical	1,822	$83,568	1,097
Ambulatory health care services	220	19.4	0.93×About typical	2,066	$88,870	604
Restaurants and other eating places	219	19.3	1.05×About typical	2,747	$23,873	50
Services to buildings and dwellings	196	17.3	2.56×More than typical	514	$53,949	775
Landscaping services	163	14.4	4.10×More than typical	369	$62,458	407
Building equipment contractors	144	12.7	2.11×More than typical	707	$66,870	191
Full-service restaurants	123	10.8	1.41×More than typical	1,370	$28,637	13
Construction of buildings	105	9.3	1.22×About typical	578	$84,320	421
Offices of physicians	86	7.6	1.17×About typical	906	$117,390	92
Lessors of real estate	84	7.4	0.60×Fewer than typical	179	$66,983	1,298
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	76	6.7	2.03×More than typical	358	$68,182	92
Limited-service restaurants	70	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	870	$19,057	22

Rank places for an industry Open Northwest Hills Planning Region

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 113,508 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: New Preston is mostly in Northwest Hills Planning Region.

See federal money in Northwest Hills Planning Region

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

New Preston, Connecticut is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).