Official Federal Data
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut
FIPS 09170 · Population 570,598
7 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$88,197
Median Income
$80,734 national
4.1% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$50.1B
GDP
42%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$88,197
Per Capita
$49,766
Mean Household
$121,469
Poverty Rate
11.4%
Median Income Comparison
South Central Connecticut Planning Region$88,197
Connecticut$95,781
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 19.6%
18-34 · 23.6%
35-54 · 24.5%
55-64 · 13.8%
65+ · 18.6%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
92.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.5 pts
42%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +6.3 pts
20.3%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +6.2 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
570,598
Population
307,881
Labor Force
Employed
289,042
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
4.1% ▲ +0.8 pts YoY
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.3%
Key Takeaways
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 6.3 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 55,262 workers (25.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $70,525.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $50.1B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services averages $141,766 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $30,519, a 4.6x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Educational Services Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
30,053
Cluster Employment
5.18x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Educational Services
5.18x 30,053
Miscellaneous Manufacturing
2.94x 3,212
Web Search Portals, Libraries, and Archives
2.36x 744
Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation
2.34x 2,361
Primary Metal Manufacturing
2.04x 1,321
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.71x 1,054
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.61x 518
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.18x
Wood Product Manufacturing
126 employed
0.31x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
960 employed
0.34x
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
548 employed
0.36x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
212 employed
0.37x
Support Activities for Transportation
543 employed
0.37x
Computing Infrastructure Providers and Data Processing
319 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Educational Services concentrates at 5.18x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 7 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$353,100
Median Home Value
$1,525
Rent/Mo
60.5%
Owner-Occ
7.1%
Vacancy
4.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents (County Average)
Renter-household-weighted average across 15 town FMR areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,372/mo$1,372 to $1,372
1 Bedroom
$1,591/mo$1,591 to $1,591
2 Bedroom
$1,969/mo$1,969 to $1,969
3 Bedroom
$2,433/mo$2,433 to $2,433
4 Bedroom
$2,872/mo$2,872 to $2,872
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,205/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,205/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
352,909
Working Age (18-64)
Mean Commute 3 min below national avg
23.5 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.3%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.2%
of prime-age population
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
42%
HS Diploma+
92.1%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
25,411/yr
8,710/yr
5,297/yr
3,108/yr
3,023/yr
2,886/yr
2,387/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
22.3%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
47.6%
Service
16.3%
Sales & Office
18.3%
Construction / Maint.
6.8%
Production / Transport
11%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 289,042 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 22.3% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 17,115 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 7 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
South Central Connecticut Planning Region shows strong potential for educational services attraction, with a 5.18x concentration and 30,053 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 22.3% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across educational services, miscellaneous manufacturing, and web search portals, libraries, and archives creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, from federal data sources.
What is the population of South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
570,598 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
$88,197 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
4.1% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
$50.1B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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