West Haven is a larger medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 54,790 people and 11 associated neighborhoods, West Haven is the 16th largest community in Connecticut.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 8.61% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. 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.

One thing that you will notice about West Haven is that there is a good-sized population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. Many singles consider West Haven a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

West Haven is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

The overall education level of West Haven citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 29.04% of adults in West Haven have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.

The per capita income in West Haven in 2022 was $35,483, which is low income relative to Connecticut, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $141,932 for a family of four. However, West Haven contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

West Haven is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call West Haven home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Haven residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. West Haven also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 26.48% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in West Haven include Italian, Irish, German, English, and Polish.

Foreign born people are also an important part of West Haven's cultural character, accounting for 20.75% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in West Haven is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.