Poverty has continued to rise in Connecticut during Connecticut’s slow economic recovery, according to new Census data from the American Community Survey. In 2011, 10.9% of Connecticut residents (377,856) had incomes under the Federal Poverty Level, up from 10.1% in 2010. Poverty increased more quickly among children. Among Connecticut children under age 18, 14.9% (118,809 children) lived in families with incomes under the Federal Poverty Level in 2011, a startling increase from 12.8% in 2010. This child poverty increase was the 5th highest in the nation. (For a two-parent household with two children, the poverty level was $22,811 in 2011.)
Estimates of poverty rates varied significantly across Connecticut’s cities: Bridgeport (25.7%), Danbury (13.9%), Hartford (36.0%), New Britain (25.5%), New Haven (30.1%), Norwalk (8.0%), Stamford (11.1%), and Waterbury (21.5%). The percentage of children under 18 in poverty in Connecticut cities was also reported for Bridgeport (39.9%), Danbury (17.9 %), Hartford (47.9%), New Britain (35.7%), New Haven (41.4%), Norwalk (7.7%), Stamford (17.5%), and Waterbury (34.5%). Poverty estimates are only available at this time for cities with populations over 65,000. There were no statistically significant changes in poverty or median household income estimates for Connecticut cities between 2010 and 2011.
For the fourth year, the U.S. Census Bureau released state-, city-, county- and Congressional district-level estimates for health insurance coverage in Connecticut from the American Community Survey. In Connecticut, an estimated 8.8% (308,945) of all people in Connecticut were without health insurance at the time of the survey. This was not significantly different from the 2008 or 2010 rates. An estimated 2.9% of children under 18 (23,377) were uninsured at the time of the 2011 survey, a significant decrease from the 4.6% rate in 2008, though not significantly changed from the 2010 rate. Estimates for Connecticut city residents who were uninsured at the time they were surveyed for the American Community Survey in 2011 ranged from 10.5% in Waterbury to 23.3% in Bridgeport.
Also see our links to additional state, city and county data on the Census website.
