CitytisticsShortlist

East Haven, CT vs Lake Royale, NC

East Haven

Connecticut

vs

Lake Royale

North Carolina

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, East Haven leads on 16 and Lake Royale on 19. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 10% higher in East Haven, while median household income is higher in Lake Royale.

Median gross rent
$1,528$1,390
East Haven is 10% higher
Median household income
$94,628$107,806
East Haven is 12% lower
Median home value
$294,200$280,400
East Haven is 5% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $75,900 a year left in East Haven and $93,900 in Lake Royale. Money goes further in Lake Royale, by about $18,000 a year.
  • A household earning East Haven's median of $94,628 would need about $90,500 in Lake Royale to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 2.3 points a year in East Haven, and pay outran rent by 9.0 points a year in Lake Royale.

How these are calculated

North CarolinaConnecticutLake Royale, NCEast Haven, CTEast HavenLake RoyaleEast HavenLake Royale

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01East Haven, CTComposite 54.7 / 100
63
655736555650n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureEast HavenLake RoyaleAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,528$1,390
Rent to income119.4%15.5%
Property tax rate11.7%0.6%
Home price to income13.1x2.6x
Prices vs US average2104.698.2
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,091$1,689
HUD area median income4n/a$132,300
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$5,122$1,604
Median home value1$294,200$280,400
Home prices, 1-year change56.3%2.1%
Home prices, 5-year change560.9%58.7%
Homeownership174.6%94.5%
Renters paying 30%+158.9%54.6%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,100$1,593
Vacant homes15.6%37.4%
Median year built119672000
Jobs and income
Median household income1$94,628$107,806
Income per person1$45,976$47,727
Unemployment15.0%4.6%
Average annual pay6$80,015$58,429
Pay growth, 1 year66.0%2.2%
Jobs6278,57214,549
Poverty rate17.2%11.1%
Mean commute124 min37 min
Works from home19.0%5.8%
Commutes by transit11.5%0.0%
People
Population127,8063,168
Median age145.747.9
Bachelor's or higher125.8%22.1%
High school or higher191.6%92.9%
Household size12.42.3
Born abroad112.4%6.0%
No health insurance16.9%9.2%
Homes with broadband194.8%91.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year11.9%5.7%
Moved from another state10.6%1.4%
Net movers per 1,000 people7-4.234.5
Income of households moving in7$74,725$72,290
Income of households moving out7$82,911$59,916
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k825.110.2
Shops per 10k832.619.8
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k84.82.6
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k823.96.9
Child care centers per 10k82.72.2
Parks per 10k910.10.0
Playgrounds per 10k97.96.3
Grocery stores per 10k92.50.0
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k98.30.0
Libraries per 10k90.70.0
Named paths and bike trails91.30.0
Transit stops per sq mi91.40.0
Nearest National Park Service site1031.1n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles104n/a
National Register listings11341
Founded or incorporated121707n/a
Safety
Violent crime per 100k1382n/a
Property crime per 100k131,726n/a
Schools
Public schools14819
Public school students142,83311,614
Students per teacher1412.416.8
Climate
July average high15n/a90°F
January average low15n/a29°F
Average temperature15n/a60°F
Annual precipitation15n/a46.8 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1695.151.7
Hurricane risk1697.074.6
Tornado risk1678.070.8
Wildfire risk1641.227.0
Heat wave risk1685.467.7
Median air quality index174344
Good air days1767.1%66.3%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: East Haven $61,120, Lake Royale $55,600 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Wikidata · Wikimedia Foundation (CC0) · Retrieved 2026-11
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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