Waterbury, CT Crime Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About Waterbury, CT Crime

Is Waterbury, CT safe?

Waterbury earns an overall crime grade of D+, but that city-wide number masks a wide range of neighborhood-level safety. Across the 45 neighborhoods analyzed, 62% — 28 out of 45 — received a grade of A or B, meaning the majority of Waterbury's residential areas are genuinely safe by comparative standards. Another 26.7% (12 neighborhoods) landed at a C, representing moderate risk. Only 11.1% of neighborhoods — 5 out of 45 — fell into D-range grades, and not a single neighborhood received an F. In practical terms, if you live in or visit areas like Country Club (A+), Bunker Hill (A), or Town Plot (A), your day-to-day safety experience looks very different from someone in the Central Business District (D+) or Berkeley Heights (D). Consulting the neighborhood-level crime map is essential for an accurate picture.

What is the crime rate in Waterbury, CT?

Waterbury's city-wide safety rating is Moderate (C) based on analysis of all 45 neighborhoods, though the overall crime grade of D+ reflects the drag from a handful of higher-crime districts. Breaking down the grade distribution: 31.1% of neighborhoods earned an A, another 31.1% earned a B, 26.7% earned a C, and 11.1% earned a D — with zero neighborhoods at F. The higher-crime cluster is concentrated in areas like Fairmount (D+), Brookside Industrial Park (D+), Willow Plaza (D+), and Berkeley Heights (D). These areas pull the city average down considerably. Waterbury's 9.3% unemployment rate and 21.3% poverty rate — both well above national averages — correlate with elevated crime in economically stressed corridors, a pattern consistent with research on crime and socioeconomic conditions.

What are the safest neighborhoods in Waterbury?

Ten neighborhoods stand out as Waterbury's safest based on 2026 crime data:

• Country Club — A+: The city's top-rated neighborhood, with a median household income of $128,579 and a population of about 1,118 residents.
• CNVR Higher Education Center — A: A small community (356 residents) with a median income of $81,648.
• Hop Brook — A: 340 residents, median income of $86,601.
• Platts Mills — A: 434 residents, median income of $82,968.
• West Side Manor — A: 1,222 residents, median income of $70,720.
• Bunker Hill — A: One of the largest safe neighborhoods at 8,592 residents, with a median income of $89,336.
• Town Plot — A: 6,429 residents and a median income of $72,625, making it one of the most populated safe areas in the city.
• East Mountain — A-: 2,189 residents, median income of $82,286.
• Woodhaven — A-: 696 residents, median income of $68,350.
• Maplewood Manor — A-: 978 residents, median income of $68,348.

Notably, Bunker Hill and Town Plot together account for over 15,000 residents who live in A-graded areas — a meaningful share of Waterbury's 188,607 total population living in genuinely low-crime conditions.

Which neighborhoods in Waterbury have the highest crime?

Five neighborhoods account for all of Waterbury's D-range grades, and none dropped to an F:

• Berkeley Heights — D: The lowest-graded neighborhood in the city.
• Fairmount — D+
• Brookside Industrial Park — D+: An industrial corridor with elevated incident rates.
• Central Business District — D+: Downtown commercial zones often see higher property crime and street-level incidents.
• Willow Plaza — D+

These five neighborhoods represent just 11.1% of the 45 neighborhoods analyzed, but they have an outsized effect on Waterbury's overall D+ city grade. If you're commuting through or spending time in these areas, heightened situational awareness is warranted.

Is Waterbury a good place to live in 2026?

Waterbury presents a genuinely mixed picture for prospective residents. On the affordability side, the median home value of $132,317 and median rent of $986/month are well below Connecticut state averages, making it one of the more accessible cities in the state for buyers and renters. The median household income of $46,329 is modest, and the 21.3% poverty rate and 9.3% unemployment rate signal real economic headwinds for parts of the community. On the safety side, 62% of neighborhoods grade A or B — a stronger result than the D+ headline grade suggests. Families who settle in Bunker Hill (A, pop. 8,592), Town Plot (A, pop. 6,429), or East Mountain (A-) will find large, established residential communities with crime profiles that compare favorably to many Connecticut cities. The key is neighborhood selection: Waterbury's wide grade spread — from A+ down to D — means location within the city matters enormously to quality of life.

How does Waterbury's crime grade distribution compare across its neighborhoods?

Of the 45 neighborhoods analyzed, the grade breakdown is as follows: 14 neighborhoods (31.1%) earned an A, 14 neighborhoods (31.1%) earned a B, 12 neighborhoods (26.7%) earned a C, 5 neighborhoods (11.1%) earned a D, and 0 neighborhoods received an F. That means nearly one-third of Waterbury neighborhoods are A-rated — a figure that surprises many people who only see the city-wide D+ grade. The absence of any F-rated neighborhoods is also notable for a city with Waterbury's socioeconomic challenges. The concentration of lower grades in specific corridors like the Central Business District and Berkeley Heights pulls the aggregate down, while large, safe residential neighborhoods like Bunker Hill and Town Plot anchor the upper end of the distribution.