Stamford, CT — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

Fairfield County · Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk · population 139,134

Stamford, CT
Image: Wikipedia · Stamford, Connecticut
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71
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Stamford stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 6.4% in the last year.

Median home $708,498
1-year +6.4%
5-yr CAGR +6.8%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +0.7%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$708k$410k$519k$628k$737k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
30/100
Minimal transit
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
70/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,900/mo$2,169$2,627$3,085202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent139126100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.4
Lean rent

At a 20.4 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Stamford. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
80 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
73 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
58 · w16%
Rent YoY
46 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
60 · w10%
Long thesis

Stamford has held up across the cycle: home values at $708,498 with +6.8% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Stamford's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Stamford

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with an estimated population of 139,134. It anchors the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metro area. The population grew 0.7% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Stamford is $708,498 as of 2026-04, up 6.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.8% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Stamford average $2,900 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+0.1%). The composite momentum score is 71 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

Bull case

Trend still working: prices up 6.4% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.
Healthy 5-year run: +6.8% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

Bear case

Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Stamford (Wikipedia)

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, 34 miles outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, and Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford surpassed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 census. It is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the New York City metropolitan area.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorCaroline Simmons (D)
Area52.03 sq mi
Elevation23 ft
Settled (Town)1641
MottoInnovating Since 1641
Density3601.0/sq mi
Named forStamford, Lincolnshire

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Fairfield County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Fairfield County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Stamford

16 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Palmers Hill$1,344,866+8.4%
2Westover$1,317,728+6.9%
3North Stamford$1,121,879+7.5%
4Roxbury$984,858+1.9%
5Shippan$966,210+5.8%
6Newfield$938,174+6.7%
7Turn of River$806,288+7.1%
8Belltown$744,815+6.7%
9Waterside$703,398+6.4%
10Springdale$664,193+8.0%
11Cove – East Side$571,314+4.2%
12Ridgeway$558,107+4.5%
13West Side$481,441+5.9%
14Glenbrook$468,346+4.3%
15South End$440,805+3.4%
16Downtown$356,444+3.8%

Cities like Stamford

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
36° / 22°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
194
~53% of year
Annual precip
49″ rain
37″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Stamford listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$90,200
Connecticut state median
Top industries (state-level)
Finance/InsuranceManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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