METRO AREA
Waterbury Metro
Waterbury-Shelton, CT · 1 counties · 463,349 residents (2025 est.) · 413 sq mi
Notable rankings
#14Most densely populatedof 9251,122The short version
Waterbury is home to 454,969 people. That puts it in the top 2% of US metro areas for household income. There are 1,102 people per square mile. The typical home is worth $317,700. About 34% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Households earn $86,191 at the median, near the US median.
At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 41.8
US median: 38.9
Average education
34% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
454,969
+1%since 2023
from 452,303 in 2023
463,349 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
2022 – 2025
Land area
413 sq mi
Population, 2022 – 2024
2024455K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.1%(22,999)
5 to 95.3%(24,262)
10 to 146%(27,366)
15 to 196%(27,504)
20 to 245.8%(26,478)
25 to 3413%(58,989)
35 to 4412.8%(58,259)
45 to 5412.5%(56,881)
55 to 6414.3%(64,958)
65 to 7411.1%(50,387)
75 to 845.6%(25,587)
85 and over2.5%(11,299)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$86,191
−3%inflation adjusted, since 2023
from $86,365 in 2023
US average: $82,259
2022 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
56.1%
+0.4 ptssince 2023
from 55.8% in 2023
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade12.6%
Information11.2%
Wholesale trade7%
Other services6.4%
Public administration5%
Finance & insurance5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
Transportation & warehousing1.8%
Education & health services0.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
Construction0.3%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$317,700
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2023
from $290,800 in 2023
US average: $376,019
2022 – 2024
3.7
+9%since 2023
from 3.4 in 2023
2022 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2023
White, non-Hispanic61.1%(276,403)
Black10.3%(46,541)
Hispanic / Latino19.2%(86,804)
Asian4%(17,989)
Other5.4%(24,566)
2024
White, non-Hispanic59.8%(272,125)
Black10.6%(48,021)
Hispanic / Latino19.9%(90,672)
Asian3.8%(17,214)
Other5.9%(26,937)
73
+2%since 2023
from 72 in 2023
2022 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
38
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican10.8%(49,037)
South American2.8%(12,942)
Dominican2.5%(11,305)
Ecuadorian1.4%(6,553)
Central American1.2%(5,656)
Mexican1.2%(5,451)
Guatemalan0.7%(2,966)
Colombian0.6%(2,810)
Cuban0.4%(1,741)
Peruvian0.2%(1,130)
Honduran0.2%(1,007)
Venezuelan0.2%(907)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Salvadoran0.2%(905)
Argentine0.2%(759)
Spaniard0.1%(615)
Chilean0.1%(424)
Panamanian0.1%(291)
Costa Rican0.1%(276)
Nicaraguan0%(211)
Uruguayan0%(177)
Bolivian0%(93)
Paraguayan0%(70)
Asian origin
Chinese1%(4,594)
Asian Indian1%(4,540)
Cambodian0.3%(1,496)
Pakistani0.3%(1,458)
Filipino0.3%(1,397)
Vietnamese0.3%(1,139)
Korean0.2%(1,137)
Laotian0%(224)
Nepalese0%(133)
Bangladeshi0%(120)
Japanese0%(117)
Taiwanese0%(79)
Ancestry
Italian17.3%(78,809)
Irish13.1%(59,756)
German6.6%(30,056)
English6.6%(30,019)
Polish6.2%(28,234)
French4.5%(20,282)
American3.1%(14,224)
West Indian2.8%(12,772)
French Canadian2.2%(9,985)
Portuguese2.1%(9,406)
Jamaican1.6%(7,297)
Subsaharan African1.2%(5,240)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Lithuanian1.1%(5,042)
Scottish1.1%(4,781)
Russian1%(4,683)
Hungarian0.9%(4,118)
Swedish0.9%(3,868)
Haitian0.8%(3,546)
Arab0.8%(3,520)
Brazilian0.6%(2,928)
Ukrainian0.6%(2,852)
Slovak0.5%(2,418)
Greek0.5%(2,063)
Lebanese0.4%(1,756)
Norwegian0.3%(1,592)
Scotch-Irish0.3%(1,510)
Dutch0.3%(1,505)
Canadian0.3%(1,459)
Austrian0.3%(1,354)
Welsh0.3%(1,141)
Cape Verdean0.2%(1,094)
Czech0.2%(1,072)
Egyptian0.2%(876)
British0.2%(779)
Romanian0.2%(702)
Danish0.1%(646)
Guyanese0.1%(645)
Nigerian0.1%(500)
Armenian0.1%(460)
Swiss0.1%(449)
Turkish0.1%(374)
Finnish0.1%(372)
Croatian0.1%(330)
Barbadian0.1%(327)
Macedonian0.1%(314)
Ghanaian0.1%(314)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0.1%(305)
Belgian0.1%(245)
Israeli0%(199)
Iranian0%(152)
Syrian0%(148)
Latvian0%(96)
Slovene0%(71)
Jordanian0%(70)
Kenyan0%(67)
Ethiopian0%(62)
Serbian0%(58)
Moroccan0%(49)
Palestinian0%(45)
Somali0%(14)
Australian0%(13)
Iraqi0%(8)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
90.5%
+0.2 ptssince 2023
from 90.3% in 2023
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.9%
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.8%
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married37.7%(69,511)
Married50.2%(92,564)
Widowed2.6%(4,707)
Divorced9.5%(17,436)
Women 15+
Never married31.6%(62,045)
Married46%(90,274)
Widowed9%(17,745)
Divorced13.3%(26,060)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
11.6%
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
1.6%
US average: 2.2%
Any private
65.3%
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.9%
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.9%(3,751)
Gulf War (1990s)15.6%(2,795)
Vietnam era34.6%(6,193)
Korean War6.2%(1,120)
World War II1.7%(310)
Share of the 17,923 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro
Largest cities
What's inside
1 component county
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Frequently asked
How many people live in Waterbury-Shelton, CT?
Waterbury-Shelton, CT has about 454,969 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Waterbury-Shelton, CT?
The typical household in Waterbury-Shelton, CT earns about $86,191 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Waterbury-Shelton, CT expensive?
In Waterbury-Shelton, CT, the median home is worth about $317,700, and the typical rent is about $1,330 a month.
How educated are people in Waterbury-Shelton, CT?
About 33.8% of adults age 25 and over in Waterbury-Shelton, CT hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Waterbury-Shelton, CT?
About 11.2% of people in Waterbury-Shelton, CT live below the federal poverty line.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024