Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety86#133/924
Economy66#312/925
Housing6#870/925
Health88#110/925
Healthcare95#43/923
Environment57#394/917
Education69#286/925
Infrastructure67#304/925
Community54#429/925
Leisure & amenities60#372/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Firearm deaths · low4.4 /100k
98/100Connecticut 4.5 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Suicide rate · low9.7 /100k
97/100Connecticut 10.1 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Access to exercise opportunities · high93.4%
95/100Connecticut 93.3%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an emergency room · low3.9 mi
93/100Connecticut 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,401
92/100Connecticut $1,750United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Adult obesity · low30.7%
91/100Connecticut 30.7%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high45.4%
2/100Connecticut 39.8%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high11 days
2/100Connecticut 10 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Effective property tax rate · high1.71%
5/100Connecticut 1.54%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Social associations · low6.3 /10k
8/100Connecticut 8.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high28.3 min
8/100Connecticut 26.5 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent as share of income · high31.9%
17/100Connecticut 31.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Trends

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

Child care cost burdenWorsening
25.3% (2020 & 2021) → 45.4% (2023 & 2024)
+20 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 12% (Nov 2025–Oct 2026)
+12 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
5.7 /100k (2021) → 2.8 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−50%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Firearm deathsImproving
8.6 /100k (2021) → 4.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−49%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
48.6 /100k (2021) → 25.1 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−48%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Distance to an airportImproving
32 mi (2020) → 20 mi (2025)
−39%5 yearsUS 33 mi → 33 mi

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, Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area improved on 5 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 0 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2020 with May 2025–Apr 2026); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved5

Firearm deaths−35%6.8 /100k → 4.4 /100k
Airport−13 mi32 mi → 20 mi
Unemployment−4 points8.5% → 4.5%
Homicides−46%5.3 /100k → 2.8 /100k
Overdose deaths−40%41.6 /100k → 25.1 /100k

Declined2

Libraries−7.9%0.6 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Traffic deaths+5.4%8.7 /100k → 9.2 /100k

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Distance to an airport	32 mi2020	20 mi2025	−13 mi	Improved	98%
Drug overdose deaths	41.6 /100k2020	25.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−40%	Improved	69%
Firearm deaths	6.8 /100k2020	4.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−35%	Improved	94%
Homicide rate	5.3 /100k2020	2.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−46%	Improved	74%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−7.9%	Declined	15%
Suicide rate	9.4 /100k2020	9.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2.5%	Little change	55%
Traffic deaths	8.7 /100k2015-2019	9.2 /100k2020-2024	+5.4%	Declined	53%
Unemployment rate	8.5%2020	4.5%2025	−4 points	Improved	79%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area 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, Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area itself moved +5.3 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

454,969 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59

Income

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

Household income

180,116 households (±990)

Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
United States share

Under $25k15%27,403
$25k–50k15%26,396
$50k–75k14%25,222
$75k–100k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

180,116 households (±990)

Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
United States share

Own69%123,476
Rent31%56,640

Table view

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

224,432 workers (±2,320)

Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
United States share

Drive alone74%166,648
Carpool8.8%19,786
Public transit1.4%3,089
Walk

Jobs and pay

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

The 10 largest occupations in Waterbury-Shelton, CT employ 34,740 people. 9 pay a median above the US median and 1 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Waterbury-Shelton, CT by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Home Health and Personal Care Aides6,360 jobs	6,360	$37,690US $35,800	+5%	1.43×
Fast Food and Counter Workers3,860 jobs	3,860	$34,850US $31,200	+12%	0.97×
Cashiers3,450 jobs	3,450	$35,100US $32,880	+7%	1.08×
Stockers and Order Fillers3,430 jobs	3,430	$37,890US $37,330	+2%	1.17×
General and Operations Managers3,370 jobs	3,370	$130,900US $105,770	+24%	0.93×
Retail Salespersons3,310 jobs	3,310	$35,360US $35,410	0%	0.82×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners3,230 jobs	3,230	$39,990US $36,840	+9%	1.41×
Registered Nurses3,050 jobs	3,050	$101,690US $97,550	+4%	0.87×
Office Clerks, General2,350 jobs	2,350	$46,570US $45,010	+3%	0.92×
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive2,330 jobs	2,330	$50,460US $47,540	+6%	1.32×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Waterbury-Shelton, CT.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Waterbury-Shelton, CT has 9,114 employer establishments, 199 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248), with 145,193 paid employees at an average annual pay of $66,365. The Census Bureau also counts 38,037 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,114; 38,037 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 199; US 248
Paid employees: 145,193
Average annual pay: $66,365; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Waterbury-Shelton, CT by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	859	18.8	0.90×About typical	11,459	$72,272	2,048
Restaurants and other eating places	783	17.1	0.93×About typical	10,388	$23,886	213
Specialty trade contractors	778	17	1.10×About typical	5,955	$78,606	3,374
Building equipment contractors	370	8.1	1.34×More than typical	3,113	$79,530	623
Full-service restaurants	345	7.5	0.98×About typical	4,660	$26,450	90
Limited-service restaurants	332	7.3	0.91×About typical	4,428	$21,733	93
Services to buildings and dwellings	293	6.4	0.95×About typical	1,934	$43,470	1,852
Offices of physicians	268	5.9	0.90×About typical	3,018	$123,671	247
Offices of other health practitioners	259	5.7	0.93×About typical	2,038	$45,187	1,007
Lessors of real estate	245	5.4	0.43×Fewer than typical	1,013	$66,526	4,223
Fabricated metal product manufacturing	242	5.3	3.31×More than typical	5,968	$64,662	68
Personal care services	237	5.2	1.09×About typical	1,147	$26,255	1,625

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 457,384 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $50.1M on contracts performed in Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area: $108 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $50.1M; −12% vs FY2025
Per resident: $108; US $2,008
Sole-source: 37%; US 30%
Single offer: 27%; US 8.7%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$13.5M27%
Department of the Navy$9.2M18%
Social Security Administration$7.9M16%
Environmental Protection Agency$5.6M11%
U.S. Coast Guard$4.1M8.2%
Office of the Chief Financial Officer$2.7M5.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1.5M3.0%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$1.4M2.8%

Top recipients

PITNEY BOWES INC.$12.9M26%
TREADWELL CORPORATION (DELAWARE)$12.4M25%
WARD LEONARD CT LLC$4.2M8.4%
SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION$4.1M8.2%
HYDROGEOLOGIC, INC.$4M8.0%

Spending by fiscal year

6.6MFY2017
2.2MFY2018
1.3MFY2019
21MFY2020
5.1MFY2021
18.1MFY2022
10.1MFY2023
21.8M

Top industries (NAICS)

Business support services · 5614$10.6M21%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$9.7M19%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$5.4M11%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$4.3M8.5%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment rental and leasing · 5324$4M7.9%
Electrical equipment manufacturing · 3353

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area: $6,413 per resident (US $12,990).

Assistance · FY2026: $3B; −6.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,413; US $12,990
Loan face value: $92.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.0%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2B67%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$231.6M7.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$152.3M5.1%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$114.5M3.9%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$98.8M3.3%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$78M2.6%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$66.3M2.2%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$59.9M2.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

POST UNIVERSITY, INC.$101.6M3.4%
WATERBURY, CT
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CONNECTICUT$82.9M2.8%
NEWINGTON, CT
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF WATERBURY$43.2M1.5%
WATERBURY, CT
HOUSING AUTHORITY CITY OF BRISTOL$17.1M0.6%
BRISTOL, CT
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF ANSONIA

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$2.5B83%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$135.6M4.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$102.9M3.5%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$85.7M2.9%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Highway Administration$82.9M

Assistance by fiscal year

48.8MFY2023
513.5MFY2024
3.2BFY2025
3BFY2026

County aggregates

88%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2023–FY2026.

Counties in Waterbury-Shelton, CT

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Naugatuck Valley Planning RegionCentral county67463,349

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Connecticut

Areas based in Connecticut, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M47930

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved5

Declined2

Metro and micro areas like Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Waterbury-Shelton, CT

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Connecticut

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved5

Declined2

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought