East Lyme is a medium-sized coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 18,788 people and five associated neighborhoods, East Lyme is the 62nd largest community in Connecticut.East Lyme is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 89.10% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, East Lyme is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in East Lyme who work in management occupations (12.26%), teaching (10.99%), and sales jobs (10.14%). Also of interest is that East Lyme has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Of important note, East Lyme is also a town of artists. East Lyme has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape East Lyme’s character. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 15.68% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Because of many things, East Lyme is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making East Lyme a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, East Lyme has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, East Lyme’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country. One of the nice things about East Lyme is that it is nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities. If knowledge is power, East Lyme is a pretty powerful place. 50.17% of the adults in East Lyme have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in East Lyme in 2022 was $55,761, which is middle income relative to Connecticut, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $223,044 for a family of four. East Lyme is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call East Lyme home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of East Lyme residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in East Lyme include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish. The most common language spoken in East Lyme is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
