Socio-Economic Characteristics

Population

51.8% of the state's 3,107,576 residents according to the 1980 census are female; 73.5% of the overall population is over 18 with a median age of 32.0. There are 814,080 families, with 2.76 persons per household. Racially the state is 90% white, and 86.5% of the population uses English as the primary language. 64.7% of Connecticut's residents are employed in the civilian labor force; 19.6% of those employed use carpools to commute to work. 1979 income per capita was $8,513 with a median family income of $23,151, but 8% of the population had income below the poverty level, with Hartford and New Haven within the 10 poorest cities in the country.

Economy

In the 1950's approximately 50% of the workforce was employed in manufacturing jobs. By 1980 this figure had been reduced to 30%, which still placed Connecticut fifth nationally in its dependence on manufacturing jobs. In 1982 within the manufacturing sector, Connecticut ranked fifth in the dollar value of defense contracts and first in per-capita dollars awarded ($5.9 billion). The industrial areas of the state are located in the Naugatuck Valley (from Bridgeport to Waterbury to Torrington) and along the Hartford to New Haven corridor.

The growth of non-manufacturing jobs over the past 25 years has primarily been in the service, financial, and wholesale and retail trade sectors. Connecticut, for example, is one of the few states whose service sector exports a product—insurance.

Unlike the nation, Connecticut's employment opportunities have grown faster than the labor force, producing low unemployment in the late 1970's and early 1980's. The labor force has grown 15% since 1971—the national growth rate has been 29%. This trend is projected to continue to the year 2000.

Connecticut ranks second nationally in personal income ($12,995 in 1981 per capita). Income from all sources totaled $41.7 billion, of which $9.5 billion is earned by manufacturing employees and $16.4 billion by non-manufacturing employees.

Housing

One third of Connecticut's 1.1 million housing units were built before 1939 and 18% were built between 1970 and 1980. Of the total housing units 78.6% receive water from public or privately operated water companies, 68.3% discharge water into sewers, and 98.1% of the units have one or more completed bathrooms.

There are approximately 170,000 families living in substandard housing, of which 96% are renters.

Housing maintenance costs over the past decade have grown 133%. Based on data from Federally financed single-family housing, the cost of owning a home took 28% of income in 1970 and 37% in 1980. Over the same period the average value of houses increased from $19,837 to $48,345.

Crime

Since 1970 violent crime—murder, rape, aggravated assault—has remained constant and below the national average. Crime against property—burglary, larceny, auto theft—has fluctuated widely.

During the early 1970's the average number of inmates in the State Department of Correction facilities dropped, reaching a low of 2,769 in 1974—but are projected at 5,200 in 1983.

From 1976 to 1982, the number of cases disposed of per Superior Court judges increased, due in large part to the increase in motor vehicle cases. With the increase in Superior Court judges, the rate of criminal and civil cases disposed of in 1982 is slightly lower than six years ago.

Connecticut law permits the death penalty by electrocution for certain offenses but as of 1983 there has been no executions for over twenty years.