Connecticut’s one-year population decline of 6,233 from 2018 to 2019 was driven by people leaving the state’s largest cities, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The annual decline — the sixth year in a row the state lost population — was previously reported, but the new town-by-town figures show four of Connecticut’s five largest cities decreased in population between July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019. New Haven was the only one to buck that trend.
Hartford’s population declined by 451, Waterbury’s by 555, Stamford’s by 168, and in Bridgeport, the state’s largest city, the population decreased by 373 over the one-year span, according to the census estimates.
But the situation was the reverse in New Haven, which added 257 residents to reach a population of 130,250.
Gov. Ned Lamont and his economic development commissioner David Lehman have set an ambitious goal of doubling the population of Connecticut’s cities over the next 25 years as a way to reinvigorate the state’s economy, which was struggling to regain ground lost after the Great Recession even before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Besides New Haven, some of the cities and towns that were the biggest gainers in terms of population from 2018-2019 are among the state’s wealthiest. Simsbury welcomed 387 new residents, while the population of Westport increased by 372.
Other towns with significant one-year increases were East Windsor (267), Ellington (162) and tiny Bozrah, which added 192 residents for an increase of 7%, the largest among any of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.
The one-year population changes in most cities and towns were not statistically significant.
The new figures were released as the 2020 Census is ongoing in Connecticut and the 49 other states. Connecticut’s response rate was 63.4% as of Tuesday, compared to the national average of 59.7%. Officials have said participation in the census is crucial to maximize federal funding that is tied to population counts.
Russell Blair can be reached at rblair@courant.com.
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