There seems to be a general perception that the
largest cities in Connecticut have steadily declined in both population and jobs during
the latter part of the past century. This article will attempt to explore this premise by
looking at both population figures and the number of jobs located in the cities of
Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Stamford and Waterbury. The points of time examined are,
for population: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1998*; and for jobs, the same years, except
1963 is used instead of 1960 because that is the earliest year for which city and town job
estimates are available. One limitation of using data that spans wide intervals of time is
that high and low points may not be precisely captured; however, the general trends are
quite apparent in the data examined.
Bridgeport
In the city of Bridgeport, population stood at 156,700 in 1960, remained stable through
the next decade, dropped sharply until 1980, and has declined moderately since. These
numbers indicate that, from its high point in 1960, population in the city of Bridgeport
declined by 12.3 percent. In terms of jobs located in the city, the total in 1963 was
78,600, peaked in 1970 and has been on a gradual decline in the 28 years since. From its
high point of 84,700 in 1970, employment in the city of Bridgeport has declined by 42.1
percent. The following graph charts movement in Bridgeport's population and jobs.
Hartford
What has happened to the city of Hartford during those years? In 1960, population in
Connecticut's capital city was 162,200. Like Bridgeport, Hartford's largest
decline was in the decade between 1970 and 1980; but the city also experienced a slight
expansion in population in the eighties. By 1998 the city had experienced more losses, to
131,500. Jobs in Hartford grew from 1963 through 1990 when they reached 151,400, but
subsequently declined to 120,600 in 1998. The graph on the front page shows that the jobs
did not begin to leave the city until the decade of the nineties and still remained at
about the 1963 level in 1998.
New Haven
The city of New Haven, like Hartford, experienced its high point in population in the
sixties, saw population declines in the decades between 1960 and 1980, rebounded in the
eighties and suffered losses during the nineties. Regarding jobs, 1963 saw a total of
86,900 jobs in the city. Jobs in New Haven reached a pinnacle in 1970, declined in the
seventies, recovered somewhat during the eighties before suffering during the recession of
the early nineties.
Stamford
Unlike Connecticut's other major cities, Stamford has experienced a steady growth
in population, outside of a decline in the seventies, and most recently was at an all-time
high of 110,700. As far as jobs go, in 1963 the total was 42,100; that total nearly
doubled by 1998 when Stamford firms employed 80,400. It appears that the city of Stamford
was the least hard hit of all the large cities by the economic downturns of the past
thirty-plus years as employment has steadily increased during that period of time.
Waterbury
In the city of Waterbury, population in 1960 was 107,100 and by 1980 it had fallen to
103,300. In 1990, a reversal occurred as population rose to 109,000. However, by 1998 it
had dropped again to 105,300. Jobs in Waterbury rose steadily throughout the sixties and
seventies before declining somewhat during the eighties and nineties. Despite the economic
hardships that have occurred in the last twenty years, employment in the city of
Waterbury, at 44,100 in 1998, was higher than it was back in the sixties.
Summary
These numbers show that each major city in Connecticut has had a different experience
in the past four decades. With the exception of Stamford, each of the other major cities
has suffered periods of job loss during that time. In the final analysis, however, only
Bridgeport and New Haven have significantly fewer jobs today than they had in the early
1960s. In contrast, the gains within the Stamford city limits nearly equal the combined
losses in Bridgeport and New Haven. Hartford and Waterbury have roughly the same number of
jobs as they did four decades ago.
In terms of population, Stamford again was the only big gainer when comparing 1960 to
1998, having added 18,000 residents. However, almost all of that occurred in the 1960s;
there has not been much change in its population since 1970. In Waterbury, like in its
number of jobs, there was little change in its population over the entire period. The
State's three most populous cities, Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven, actually
experienced large declines in numbers of residents between 1960 and 1998. This could be
attributed, at least in part, to the trend over that period of people moving from the
cities to the suburbs. More open space, better roadways and the increased use of the
automobile were partly responsible for this. It is for these same reasons that many
businesses also followed suit and built new facilities in the suburban towns that became
easily accessible to its workers. Obviously, with trends like these, raising revenues to
run a city can be a significant challenge.
While Stamford is considered a major city by many in Connecticut, some in mid-town
Manhattan consider Stamford to have a smaller-town attractiveness. It's the place to
be.
Executives on the original Industry Cluster Advisory Boards
identified workforce development as the single most important factor in Connecticut's
long-term competitiveness. To attract and retain businesses in key industry clusters, a
region must offer an adequate pool of qualified workers with skills utilizing
sophisticated technology. A series of demand-driven training initiatives resulted. Two
currently underway are the secondary school pilots and the precision machine-training
program.
In January 1999, four proposals were selected for a total of
$420,000 funding: (1) The Northeastern Connecticut Manufacturing pilot recruited 17
students and entailed marketing efforts including radio spots, newsletters, and parent
advisory meetings. (2) The Manufacturing Advanced Placement Program recruited 18 students.
(3) The Manufacturing Technology Cooperative Program included summer manufacturing camps
for 51 7th and 8th graders, and development of a brochure with the Waterbury Chamber of
Commerce. (4) The Windsor Public High School provided field trips to various manufacturing
companies and development of a brochure.
The Precision Machine Training Program was funded with $1.6
million of private, federal and state funds. Originally launched by the Metro-Hartford
Millennium Project, the program now partners area manufacturers with three
community-technical colleges: Asnuntuck, Capital, and Manchester. It provides 780 hours of
instruction, job shadowing, and certification by the National Tooling and Machining
Association. So far, 200 students have graduated, and area manufacturers currently employ
163.
Commissioner James F.
Abromaitis of the Connecticut
Department of Economic and
Community Development announced
that Connecticut communities
authorized 859 new
housing units in March 2000, a
22.3 percent decrease compared
to March of 1999 when 1,105
units were authorized.
The Department further
indicated that the 859 units
permitted in March 2000 represent
an increase of 69.1 percent
from the 508 units permitted in
February 2000. The year-to-date
permits are down 8.5 percent,
from 2,372 through March 1999,
to 2,170 through March 2000.
Reports from municipal
officials throughout the state
indicate that Windham County
with 19.4 percent showed the
greatest percentage increase in
March compared to the same
month a year ago. New Haven
County followed with a 16.5
percent increase.
New Haven County documented
the largest number of
new, authorized units in March
with 184. Hartford County
followed with 173 units and
Fairfield County had 148 units.
Hamden led all Connecticut
communities with 43 units,
followed by Danbury with 36 and
Westbrook with 30.
May 1998 was an exciting time for the City of
Hartford when a spellbound audience crammed into City Hall as plans for a $1 billion
riverfront development project to revive downtown were first unveiled. Once described as a
sum "more than the total amount spent on bricks and mortar in Hartford in a
decade," the ambitious project to be called Adriaen's Landing would feature a
convention center, retail establishments, and housing units. Since then, the stadium site
has been moved to East Hartford, and business and community leaders, working with the
Capitol City Economic Development Authority (CCEDA), are focused on realizing many facets
of Hartford's redevelopment. As this article goes to print, a long-awaited
legislative vote is imminent.
What has happened to the Hartford area during the past year? Have the changes in this
massive project impacted economic growth? The answer appears to be no. From March 1999 to
March 2000, the total number of jobs in the Hartford Labor Market Area actually increased
from 611,200 to 613,600. The number of jobs in the area is now at its highest point since
1990. Employment in the city between June 1998 and June 1999 (the latest point in time for
which town employment data is available) was up by 4,600, or nearly four percent.
The really good news has been in the unemployment rate. Over the last year, the number
of individuals without a job went down by nearly 5,800 in the area. As a result, the area
unemployment rate declined from 3.6 to 2.6 percent of the labor force as of March 2000,
the lowest it has been in the last eleven years. More good news can be found in the city
of Hartford where more than 1,000 fewer residents were jobless in March this year compared
with last year. The unemployment rate has gone down accordingly, from 7.1 to 5.1 percent.
Despite the uncertain outlook just a few short months ago, Hartford continues to make
steady progress. The G. Fox building is slated to become a community college. Major
Constitution Plaza renovations are nearly done. The Hartford Library and the Bushnell
expansions are underway. Riverfront Recapture's walkway to the Connecticut River has
already opened, and the fast-moving "Learning Corridor" which received an
American Planning Association award, is scheduled to open this fall. A Crown Cinema
complex is scheduled to open in July. This complex will also house a 65-foot screen
theater which will allow Imax features to be shown. The city of Hartford has even gotten
another sports franchise, the Hartford FoxForce of World Team Tennis is set to serve on
July 12, 2000 at the State Armory. Improvements have also been made to the city's
school system and the result has been unprecedented improvement in test scores on the
Student Mastery Test. The crime rate is reportedly going down. In the past year alone,
three events: the Taste of Hartford, First Night and the Greater Hartford Marathon
combined to draw almost a quarter of a million people into the city. This coming summer
will feature a two-week visit (July 29 - August 13) by the replica of the Amistad ship,
moored at State Street Landing (for more information, see Riverfront Recapture Inc.'s
website www.riverfront.org). Overlapping this event is the Mark Twain Days, August
4-6.
The circumstances might be somewhat different, but one year later to answer the
question, is Hartford alive? The answer is a resounding YES.
Economic Indicators \ Year |
1998 |
1999 |
Labor
Force........................................ |
53,971 |
52,606 |
Employed........................................ |
50,336 |
49,330 |
Unemployed........................................... |
3,635 |
3,276 |
Unemployment
Rate............................................ |
6.7 |
6.2 |
|
|
|
|
New Housing Permits............................ |
92 |
76 |
Retail Sales
($mil.)................................. |
1,504 |
1,562 |
|
|
|
|
Total Nonfarm Employment (June)...... |
120,630 |
125,240 |
Goods Producing
Industries...................................... |
5,870 |
5,600 |
|
Construction............................. |
1,570 |
1,760 |
|
Manufacturing........................... |
4,300 |
3,840 |
|
Food.................................... |
870 |
770 |
|
Textiles & Apparel................... |
200 |
200 |
|
Furniture, Wood, & Paper.......... |
160 |
160 |
|
Printing & Publishing.................. |
1,640 |
1,380 |
|
Chem, Rubber, Misc. Plastics... |
340 |
340 |
|
Primary Metals......................... |
70 |
70 |
|
Fab. Metals & Aircraft.................. |
730 |
630 |
|
Machinery............................... |
160 |
160 |
|
Other Manufacturing................... |
130 |
130 |
Service Producing
Industries................................. |
114,760 |
119,640 |
|
Transp. & Public Utilities................ |
9,210 |
9,340 |
|
Trade........................................ |
11,070 |
11,040 |
|
Wholesale................................ |
3,990 |
3,410 |
|
Retail..................................... |
7,080 |
7,630 |
|
Finance, Insurance & Real Est.... |
33,620 |
34,560 |
|
Services (incl. Nonprofit)............... |
39,840 |
43,670 |
|
Government............................... |
21,020 |
21,030 |
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