CT Has More Cities, Towns with Median Age Under 40 Than Over 50

Connecticut’s youngest communities are Mansfield, Windham, New Haven, Hartford and New London, according to the newest American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. The median age in the five communities is: 21.1 years old in Mansfield – home of the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus – and 30 years old for the next four youngest town and cities. (Windham 30, New Haven 30.7, Hartford and New London 30.9)

Rounding out the top ten municipalities with the youngest median age are Groton (33.1), Bridgeport (33.8), New Britain (34.4), Waterbury (34.7) and West Haven (35.1). The next five are Manchester (35.4), Willington (36.1), and Stamford, Middletown and Norwich, each with a median age of 37.

The median age is under 40 in 24 of Connecticut’s 169 towns and cities and over 50 in 20 municipalities. Statewide, the median age is 40.8.

The ten oldest communities, based on median age, are Canaan (52.6), Kent (53.1), Cornwall (53.3), Essex (53.9), Norfolk (54.1), Bridgewater (54.6), Lyme (55), Salisbury (55.1), Washington (55.5) and Sharon (58.9).

The data was recently processed and loaded to the Connecticut Data Collaborative website, www.ctdata.org. Data used in the analysis was provided by the U.S. Census, and includes the five year period 2013-2017. The data is sortable by gender, and race/ethnicity. Additional data accessible in the dataset goes back to 2006, in five-year segments.

When comparing data to the Census ACS 2008-2012 estimates, 31 towns experienced a decrease in median age while 135 had an increase in median age; three towns didn’t have a change.

“The Connecticut Data Collaborative advocates for the public availability of open and accessible data with the hope that data will drive planning and policy making across the state. The data on median age provides a glimpse into the state’s demographics, and provides planners and the public with an opportunity to delve deeper into the data,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the CT Data Collaborative.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative continues to expand the volume of state and municipal data available on the publicly-accessible website, www.ctdata.org, and is building data literacy through the Connecticut Data Academy and other initiatives. The instructive and collaborative programs detail the many ways that data can be used by a range of businesses, town and city governments, nonprofits and organizations throughout the state to further policy development, evaluation and analysis.

The CT Data website currently includes more than 200 datasets on a wide range of subjects and programmatic areas. Additional data will be added throughout the year. More information is available at www.ctdata.org.