South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 516,000 | 3,347,044 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 832.8 | 603.7 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.34% | -0.35% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.3 | 42.1 | 37.3 |
| Households | 207,486 | 1,316,506 | 130,235,071 |
Population in South Central Connecticut Planning Region declined by 1.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 516,000 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in South Central Connecticut Planning Region is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.5% of residents. That is 0.8 points below Connecticut as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 110,539 21.4% +1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 104,779 20.3% -0.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 110,683 21.5% -0.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 95,677 18.5% on par
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Connecticut, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.6% of the people living in South Central Connecticut Planning Region and men 48.4%.
- Women 51.6% Connecticut 51.0%
- Men 48.4% Connecticut 49.0%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
South Central Connecticut Planning Region has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $91,696 | $97,098 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.41% | 3.67% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.9% | 5.5% | 5.2% |
The median household income in South Central Connecticut Planning Region is about 6% lower than in Connecticut.
Housing
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $233,101 | $281,244 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,536 | $1,481 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 62.6% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in South Central Connecticut Planning Region is about 12.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,536 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in South Central Connecticut Planning Region spend about 42 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 174 hours, about 7.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.9 | 22.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 41.8 | 44.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 174 | 184 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,396 | $5,704 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 16.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 12,742 | 10,657 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,984 | 1,748 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Connecticut:
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (20.6 min), South Central Connecticut Planning Region (20.9 min), Capitol Planning Region (21.4 min).
Slowest:
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region (26.0 min), Greater Bridgeport Planning Region (23.9 min), Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (23.5 min).
The average commute time in South Central Connecticut Planning Region is 21 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Connecticut.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
South Central Connecticut Planning Region has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37.2% | 38.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.47 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Connecticut:
Western Connecticut Planning Region (0.4), Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region (0.4), Capitol Planning Region (0.3).
Lowest:
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region (0.3), Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (0.3), Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (0.3).
Health
South Central Connecticut Planning Region has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.6 | 80.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.6% | 12.0% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.7% | 15.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Connecticut:
Western Connecticut Planning Region (0.8), Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region (0.8), Northwest Hills Planning Region (0.8).
Lowest:
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region (0.8), South Central Connecticut Planning Region (0.8), Capitol Planning Region (0.8).
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT Compared With Nearby Counties
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 516,000 residents against a local median of 439,566. Nothing separates South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 11% below the local median at 20.9 min against 23.5 min. South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT has the lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 516,000 | $91,696 #4/6 | $233,101 #4/6 | 20.9 min #1/6 |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 439,566 | $87,330 | $244,999 | 23.5 min |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 163,295 | $107,450 | $222,692 | 22.8 min |
| Suffolk County, NY | 1,451,500 | $131,515 | $526,704 | 25.5 min |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 308,890 | $90,469 | $283,536 | 23.9 min |
| Capitol Planning Region, CT | 920,648 | $94,231 | $232,901 | 21.4 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut.
What is the population of South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut?
About 516,000 people live in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, in 207,486 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 41.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut has 833 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.6 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.5 times the median household income ($233,101 against $91,696), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,536 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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