Farmington is the economic leader in the Hartford Region and one of the most desirable towns to locate your business.
And here’s why…
Business Climate
Farmington’s diverse grand-list allows for a commercial mill rate among the lowest 22% in Connecticut and the lowest in the Hartford Region The Town offers incentives, for green energy upgrades, as well as Bioscience Enterprise Corridor Zone abatement for businesses engaged in Bioscience . With the lowest tax rate in Hartford County, it offers one of the lowest costs of doing business in Connecticut. A stable, highly educated workforce, Blue Ribbon schools, low taxes, proximity to major regional highways and myriad recreational opportunities make the Town of Farmington an ideal place to do business.
Colleges
Farmington is home to both the University of Connecticut Medical and Dental School and Tunxis Community College.
University of Connecticut Health Center offers a range of doctoral and master programs, including biomedical science and public health. Faculty expertise includes neuroscience, molecular biology, molecular pharmacology, biochemistry, cell physiology, toxicology, stem cells, and endocrinology, among other fields.
Tunxis Community College serves nearly 7,000 full and part-time students each semester enrolled in credit and continuing education classes. Technical (two-year) degrees from Tunxis include Accounting, Computer Programming, Engineering, Graphic Design Industrial Art and Illustration, and Information Systems & Business Data.
As a state, Connecticut enjoys one of the highest densities of higher education in the nation. Farmington is less than an hour’s drive from many four-year schools including Yale University, the University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University, Trinity College, Charter Oak State College, and Central & Southern Connecticut State Universities.
Connecticut also enjoys a strong network of two-year, community and technical trades colleges. Naugatuck Valley,Middlesex, Gateway, Capital and Manchester Community Colleges are all within a 40-mile radius of Farmington.
Government
Farmington is administered under the Council-Manager form of government. The Town Manager serves as full-time Chief Executive and is aided by an Assistant Town Manager. Finances are under the control of Town Manager, the Town Council, and the Finance Director. The seven-member council, the Town's legislative body, is elected biennially for a term of two years and serves without compensation. The Town Charter, which is the primary organizational document, was first adopted in 1947 and last was revised December 4, 2003. The Strategic Plan and the Plan of Conservation and Development are up to date and guide land use and business development in Farmington.
Housing
Farmington offers a diverse housing-stock, from a broad choice of apartments and condominiums to an array of single family homes. There are housing options for all budgets and tastes. Median Housing Price in 2022 was $336,100 and 64% are single unit.
Major Employers
Farmington prides itself on a strong and vibrant business community, boasting more than 2,000 registered businesses. From corporate headquarters, to industry, to sole proprietorship, the Town enjoys a diverse collection of commercial enterprises. Farmington has one of the largest Class A office space inventories in the greater Hartford region, as well as a large inventory of industrial commercial space.
Farmington's five largest employers represent insurance, healthcare, bioscience, research, and manufacturing.
The University of Connecticut Health Center is the Town’s largest employer and a leading academic research institution in CT. In 2011 Governor Malloy made an $864 million dollar investment in Bioscience CT, an economic development initiative aimed at making CT one of the leaders in bioscience research and discovery. Bioscience CT will make University of Connecticut Health Center a hub of research and clinical work in bioscience arena.
ConnectiCare has been a leading health plan in the state of Connecticut for 40 years. ConnectiCare is recognized for its extraordinary commitment to customer services, its collaboration with doctors and hospitals, and its range of health plans and services for individuals, families, businesses, and municipalities.
Otis Elevator Company: The world’s leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation, and service are headquartered at 1 Carrier Place in Farmington, CT.
The Jackson Laboratory: The Jackson Laboratory, an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution was founded in 1929 in Bar Harbor, Maine. Their Farmington campus is home to The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine. Researchers in Farmington focus on human genomics, complementing their long history of mammalian genetics expertise.
Schools
Farmington’s Public Schools are rooted in excellence, recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Dept. of Education. Newsweek Magazine has cited Farmington High School as one of the top 100 high schools in the country. Over 96% of Farmington graduates go on to two- or four-year colleges, and in 2016, 62% of the graduating class took AP Courses, with 74% of AP Test takers scored 3 or higher. Check out our Farmington schools information for comprehensive comparable details.
Farmington is also home to the prestigious Miss Porter’s School, a day and boarding school for girls in grades 9 through 12. The school counts among its alumni the likes of Suzannah Grant Henrickson (1980), Eliza Kimball (1969), and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1947).