Connecticut’s population increased by just less than 1% between 2010 and 2020, making it the fourth-slowest growing state in the country, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The decennial population count, carried out last year amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, shows Connecticut had 3,605,944 residents in 2020, up 0.9% from 3,574,097 10 years ago.
Due to that negligible change, Connecticut will neither gain nor lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the size of a state’s delegation is determined by its population. Connecticut currently has five representatives in that chamber of Congress.
The Census Bureau does not investigate the drivers of state population growth or losses, but it is no secret that Connecticut has struggled to retain residents, including young college graduates and retirees, due to its high cost of living and generally stagnant economy.
Census Bureau migration data from recent years has shown that Connecticut has lost tens of thousands of residents to states such as New York, Massachusetts, California, Florida and South Carolina.
That trend was reversed, however, after the pandemic prompted hundreds of thousands of people, including many young families, to leave New York City for the suburbs of the tri-state area. Some of the transplants have settled in Fairfield and Litchfield counties, though it is not clear if those former city residents intend to permanently take up residence in Connecticut or return to New York once the spread of the coronavirus is finally brought under control and travel and occupancy restrictions are eased.
According to census data, the nation’s total population reached 331 million in 2020, up from 308 million 10 years ago.
Utah, which saw its headcount jump by 18.4%, was the fastest-growing state in the country through the 2010s, followed by Idaho (17.3%), Texas (15.9%), North Dakota (15.8%) and Nevada (15%).
Only three states lost ground in the census — Illinois (-0.1%), Mississippi (-0.2%) and West Virginia (-3.2%).
Puerto Rico, wracked by catastrophic hurricanes and financial crises, lost more than a tenth of its residents over the last decade, with the island territory’s population declining by 11.8%.
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