
2. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut
This Metropolitan Statistical Area also includes the Greater Bridgeport area. Fairfield county is completely encompassed in this area and has a population of just under a million people as of 2015. There are 23 towns included in this statistical area.

Bridgeport is the biggest city in the state and has a population of 151,276 according to a census done in 2017. This 5th most populated city in New England is only 60 miles away from Manhattan. The dominating industrial sector in Bridgeport began its decline in the middle of the 20th century. The economy is now more service orientated. Education, healthcare, and finance are currently the cornerstones of this city’s economy.

Stamford is another city if Fairfield county and is even close to Manhattan, located only 30 miles from the world-renowned borough. It is the 7th biggest city in New England and also forms part of the Greater New York Metropolitan Statistical Area. Stamford is home to a few Fortune 500 companies, as of 2017, there are 4 of these. Settled in 1649, Norwalk is now the 6th most populated city in the state of Connecticut. Famous companies like Priceline Group, Xerox, Pepperidge Farm, and Frontier Communications all have their home right in Norwalk.

Being part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the Big Apple along with Wall Street, the area obviously is home to a fair amount of 6 figure earning households. The last point had these same households spending 99% of their income on living expenses. The leap made from that percentage is incredibly substantial. If monthly income after taxes is $6,297 and monthly expenses are $ 6,436, then shockingly these households cannot even afford the cost of living. They would need to spend money they do not have simply to cover their cost of living.