Connecticutincome tax up to 6.99%, 3rd highest property tax, median home $395K

Worth knowing before you move to Connecticut

Connecticut has among the highest property taxes and highest per-capita incomes in the country, and both are concentrated in Fairfield County, an hour from Manhattan by train. The state taxes Social Security only above income thresholds and phases out tax on pensions and IRA withdrawals for middle incomes. It has an estate tax with an exemption matched to the federal level.

What Connecticut taxes, and what it doesn't

Connecticut levies a graduated income tax that tops out at 6.99%. A household earning $75,000 pays an effective 4.5%, about $3,375 a year; at $150,000 the effective rate is 5.2%. Among the 41 states that tax income, Connecticut has the 17th highest effective rate at $100,000 of income.

Property tax runs 1.79% of home value a year, roughly $7,071 on the state's median home of $395K. The national effective rate is about 1.10%, and Connecticut has the 3rd highest rate of the 50 states.

Combined state and local sales tax averages 6.35%, the 19th lowest in the country (the state portion is 6.35%).

For retirees: Connecticut is one of the few states that taxes Social Security benefits, pension income is partly exempt, and an estate tax applies above $13.61 million.

Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.

Housing and the cost of living in Connecticut

Connecticut's cost of living index is 114, where 100 is the national average; that is the 11th most expensive of the 50 states.

The median home costs $395K, 30% above the national figure and the 18th highest among the states. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,800 a month.

Carrying costs matter as much as the price: home insurance averages $1,600 a year, flood coverage adds about $900 where it is needed, car insurance runs $1,850.

Budget $220 a month for electricity and gas, $660 a month in groceries for two, $1,900 a month for full-time infant care.

Safety, health and schools

Violent crime is 203 incidents per 100,000 residents in the FBI's 2023 Crime Data Explorer figures, below the median state (387); Connecticut is the 5th safest of the 50 by that measure. Property crime is 1,380 per 100,000.

Life expectancy is 79.8 years (County Health Rankings 2024). 5.9% of residents have no health insurance, and the state has expanded Medicaid. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Connecticut's health system 3rd of 50.

Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks K-12 schools 3rd in the country.

Politics, guns and social policy

Politically, Connecticut is a solidly Democratic state that went to Harris by 12 points in 2024.

On guns, concealed-carry permits are may-issue, at the discretion of local authorities, a permit is required to buy a handgun, and Giffords grades the state's gun laws A.

Abortion is protected by state law. Marijuana is legal for adults. Connecticut is not a right-to-work state, and the minimum wage is $15.69 an hour.

Climate, risk and getting around

Natural disaster risk is moderate. The main hazards are hurricane, flood, blizzard. Annual average air quality index is 32 (under 50 is good).

Connecticut has no top-25 hub airport, with about 55 nonstop destinations from its busiest airport.