The Greater Hartford area’s gross domestic product grew nearly 2.8 percent in 2013, but accounting for price inflation, the growth was just 1.1 percent, according to new data released Tuesday by the federal government.
Inflation-adjusted, or real GDP, totaled $81.26 billion for the metro area, which includes Hartford, Tolland, and Middlesex Counties, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That was up from $80.40 billion in 2012 and $79.93 billion in 2011, which was the worst since 2006 for the area’s economic output.
The 1.1 percent real GDP growth last year represented the second straight increase for Greater Hartford, following 0.6 percent in 2012. The region’s real GDP had decreased in the four preceding years.
The biggest contributor to the region’s increase in 2013 was professional and business services, followed by the health, education, and social services sector.
Meanwhile, Fairfield County’s real GDP grew 0.7 percent last year, down from 1.9 percent. The Norwich-New London area saw its real GDP shrink by 0.3 percent, which was better than a contraction of 1.9 percent the year before.
In August, the BEA said that Connecticut’s real GDP grew 0.9 percent in 2013, down from 1 percent in 2012.
Across the country, metro-area real GDP growth averaged 1.7 percent in 2013, with 292 of 381 metro areas booking an increase. That was down from 2.6 percent in 2012.
The 2013 figures represent preliminary data and are subject to future revisions, BEA said.
