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Cost of living, pay and housing

41.20° N · 73.13° W · GEOID 0974303

Stratford Downtown

Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut · part of the Bridgeport, CT metro

Limited data population under 5,000

ConnecticutStratford Downtown, CTStratford DowntownStratford Downtown

The short answer

Stratford Downtown is home to 1,662 people. Median household income is $73,750 a year and median rent is $1,620 a month, 26.4% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $317,500, about 4.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,620
19% above the median place
Median household income
$73,750
8% below the median place
Median home value
$317,500
1% below the median place
Unemployment
7.3%
50% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Stratford Downtown

  • 94% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 62 Connecticut places.
  • Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 235 hours a year commuting, more than in 93% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 64 Connecticut places.
  • Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 9.2% a year while household income rose 2.1%, so rent outran pay by more than in 94% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes 26.4% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 88% of places its size.
01

Moving to Stratford Downtown

Greater Bridgeport Planning Region loses about 4.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in13,054
Moved out14,218
Net−1,164

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Bronx County, NY1,341353+988
New York County, NY468361+107
Queens County, NY544172+372
Kings County, NY440198+242

Within Connecticut, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within ConnecticutOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$92K
Leavers$85K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Greater Bridgeport Planning Region; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.7% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Greater Bridgeport Planning Region report $92,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $85,000, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$64,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,620 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,114 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $317,500.
Getting to work
34 minutes each way on average; 8.7% work from home; 5.7% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Melbourne, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in6
$92,401
31% above the median place
Income of households moving out6
$85,040
21% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.7%0% above
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-4.5below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$92,40131% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$85,04021% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 94.3%, 86% above the median place.

Stratford Downtown26.4%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$64,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
26.4%
29% above the median place
Home price to income
4.3x
13% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
26%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$55,700
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Stratford Downtown, $1,620 a month, and local prices for everything else (97.9 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Stratford Downtown, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Silver Lake, NC22.1% vs 26.4%$6,100Compare
Hazardville, CT22.4% vs 26.4%$7,300Compare
Cape May Court House, NJ23.0% vs 26.4%$2,500Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Stratford Downtown.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Stratford Downtown? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
94.3%
86% above the median place
Property tax rate1
2.4%
160% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$7,534
131% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,62019% above
Rent to income126.4%29% above
Property tax rate12.4%160% above
Home price to income14.3x13% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure106.96% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,39949% above
Property tax paid (median)1$7,534131% above
Median home value1$317,5001% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure5.8%80% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure63.9%24% above
Homeownership169.8%5% above
Renters paying 30%+194.3%86% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,11413% above
Vacant homes1County figure5.1%28% below
Median year built119641% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 34 min, 35% above the median place.

Mean commute1
34 min
35% above the median place
Works from home1
8.7%
30% below the median place
Median household income1
$73,750
8% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$73,7508% below
Income per person1$37,6396% below
Unemployment1County figure7.3%50% above
Average annual pay5County figure$77,99318% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.1%11% above
Jobs5County figure115,62123% below
Poverty rate19.9%8% below
Mean commute134 min35% above
Works from home18.7%30% below
Commutes by transit1County figure5.7%above (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

High school or higher is 84.8%, 8% below the median place.

High school or higher1
84.8%
8% below the median place
Median age1
42.9
10% above the median place
Born abroad1
15.2%
72% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.4 −5%
Homes with broadband92.3% −0%
Bachelor's or higher32.3% +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population11,6626646th largest
Median age142.910% above
Bachelor's or higher132.3%1% above
High school or higher184.8%8% below
Household size12.45% below
Born abroad115.2%72% above
No health insurance1County figure8.6%34% above
Homes with broadband192.3%0% below
05

Life in Stratford Downtown

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k12.0 +28%
Grocery stores per 10k30.1 14.2×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k84.2 7.6×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi6.4 30.5×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.1 +1%
Shops25.1 −17%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.2 +2%
Doctors' offices and clinics22.7 +12%
Child care centers2.9 +26%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools9
91
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students9
50,880
above the median place (median 4,897)
Shops per 10k7
25.1
17% below the median place
All 15 schools and local life measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure91above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure50,880above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher9County figure13.910% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure21.11% above
Shops per 10k7County figure25.117% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure4.22% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure22.712% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.926% above
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k812.028% above
Grocery stores per 10k830.1above (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k884.2above (median 11.2)
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi86.4above (median 0.2)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 23.9, 61% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Stratford Downtown. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk10
23.9
61% below the median place
Hurricane risk10
95.1
35% above the median place
Tornado risk10
41.7
49% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureStratford DowntownAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk10County figure91.81% below
Hurricane risk10County figure95.135% above
Tornado risk10County figure41.749% below
Wildfire risk10County figure23.961% below
Heat wave risk10County figure77.614% below
Median air quality index11Metro figure442% above
Good air days11Metro figure64.7%6% below
08

Stratford Downtown in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 27% of the median income in 2030, up from 26% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,620/mo (2024)$2,090/mo$1,710 to $2,540/mo+4.3%
Median household income$73,750 (2024)$92,500$78,000 to $109,500+3.8%
Median home value$317,500 (2024)$454,000$329,000 to $625,000+6.1%

The median home would be worth 4.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 4.3 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Stratford Downtown

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Melbourne, FL$1,525$66,991Compare
Hammonton, NJ$1,611$78,087Compare
Fruitvale, CO$1,686$77,887Compare
DeSoto, TX$1,666$82,782Compare
DeSoto, TXFruitvale, COHammonton, NJMelbourne, FLStratford Downtown, CTStratford DowntownMelbourneHammontonFruitvaleDeSotoStratford DowntownMelbourneHammontonFruitvaleDeSoto

Common questions

Is Stratford Downtown a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 94% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 99% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 62 Connecticut places. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 235 hours a year commuting, more than in 93% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 64 Connecticut places. On cost, space and class size it scores 30 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Stratford Downtown expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 26.4% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $317,500.

What salary do you need to live in Stratford Downtown?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $64,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Stratford Downtown?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Melbourne, FL, Hammonton, NJ, Fruitvale, CO and DeSoto, TX.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  11. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Stratford Downtown with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Stratford Downtown itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/stratford-downtown-connecticut

Citytistics. “Stratford Downtown, Connecticut.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/stratford-downtown-connecticut/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.