Census Approves CT Switch From Counties To Regions: What To Know

CONNECTICUT — The U.S. Census Bureau will now use the state’s nine planning regions as county equivalent geographic units to collect and analyze census data.

The state requested the change in 2017 in an effort to more accurately reflect how the state functions. Connecticut hasn’t had county government since 1960 and the last inkling of county government faded in 2000 when the beleaguered sheriff system was disbanded.

Here are six things to know about the change:

How will it benefit Connecticut?

The change will make it easier for municipalities to collaborate together in order to apply for federal grants that are typically designed around counties.

It will also make U.S. Census data more useful for planning purposes, according to an informational posting put together by the Census, CT COG, the state and CT Data Collaborative.

What planning region does my town belong to?

Will this change how local government is run?

State officials said there won’t be changes to how local governments are run. The changes will make it easier for town leaders to coordinate regionally on things like transportation, procurement of goods and services and public safety, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Jeffrey Beckham said in a statement.

When will the change go into effect?

The Census Bureau will make its own internal changes later this year. Census Bureau publications will use the nine new planning regions by 2024. This won’t affect the 2020 census or other datasets published before June 1, 2022.

What is a COG?

Each planning region in the state has a council of governments (COGS), which is a group of mayors and first selectmen that coordinate and plan on matters of mutual interest. COGs don’t have taxing authority.

The state’s nine COG boards voted unanimously to support the change.

Is this county equivalent situation unique to Connecticut?

County government is the norm in much of the U.S., but the U.S. Census Bureau recognizes several other county equivalents in its statistical packages.

Alaska doesn’t have counties, but has organized boroughs with varying taxing authority. Many parts of Alaska don’t belong to a borough and are instead referred to as census areas for statistical purposes.

Louisiana’s county equivalents are known as parishes and have various forms of government.

Some states have independent cities that exist outside any county government. Baltimore and St. Louis are two of the more famous examples.

Washington, D.C. also has special status since it doesn’t belong to any state.

U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam don’t have counties either.