Conn. census results to be released today
Tim Loh, Staff Writer
Published 07:20 a.m., Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The U.S. Census Bureau will release today the results of Connecticut's 2010 headcount, offering a once-in-a-decade glimpse of how many of state residents there are, where they can be found, how much they earn, how educated they are, and how they stack up against neighboring towns, states and the rest of America.
To make sense of the reams of data, the Connecticut Post will be sifting out the past decade's biggest demographic shifts -- on a statewide, regional and town-by-town basis.
Here's a preview of what we're looking for:
-- Is Bridgeport still shrinking? In 1990, nearly 142,000 people called the Park City their home. By 2000, though, that number had dropped to about 139,500. Recent studies ballpark the city's current population at 3,000 or so people fewer, which could bring financial and political trouble. But how accurate is that assessment? Who's leaving? Who's staying? And who's arriving? Taken together, can Bridgeport still claim to be Connecticut's largest city?
-- Southwestern Connecticut is home to extreme income gaps. A decade ago, Easton's median household income -- nearly $126,000 -- was almost four times greater than that of neighboring Bridgeport. But has the economic tsunami that's hit the globe in recent years served to soften that income gap or amplified it? And have any towns and cities come out on top of the downturn? Which ones have come out as losers?
-- Outside evidence -- anecdotal included -- suggests that diverging trends have flown through the Valley this decade. Some areas have grown younger and more diverse -- Derby and Ansonia -- while others are aging. Does the census data bear this out? Or has something altogether different been taking place?
One preview: A study released earlier this week found that Fairfield County's population has climbed 2 percent in the past decade to about 900,000 people. That information, however, was drawn from the American Community Survey, and not the U.S. Census data. Whether it's true will take sharper focus by the end of Wednesday. As will the question of whether Connecticut can claim a spot as housing one of the nation's oldest populations.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Conn-census-results-to-be-released-today-1049345.php#ixzz1G755K71m
