View source for Connecticut

{{short description|U.S. state}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{about|the U.S. state|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Conn.|other uses|Conn (disambiguation){{!}}Conn}}
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{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}

{{Infobox U.S. state
| name = Connecticut
| image_flag = Flag of Connecticut.svg
| image_seal = Seal of Connecticut.svg
| flag_link = Flag of Connecticut
| image_map = Connecticut in United States (zoom).svg
| nickname = {{plainlist|
* The Constitution State (official)
* The Nutmeg State
* The Provisions State
* The Land of Steady Habits}}
| motto = {{plainlist|
* {{lang|la|[[Qui transtulit sustinet]]}} (Latin) 
* He who transplanted still sustains<ref name="SOTS" />}}
| anthem = "[[Yankee Doodle]]"<br />[[File:Yankee Doodle (choral).ogg|center]]
| Former = [[Connecticut Colony]]
| seat = [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]]<ref name="AboutCT"/>
| LargestMetro = [[New York metropolitan area|New York]] (combined)<br />[[Greater Hartford]] (metro and urban)
| LargestCity = [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]]
| LargestCounty = [[Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut|Capitol (Hartford County)]]
| population_demonym = {{plainlist|
* [[Nutmegger]]<ref>{{cite web |website=eReference Desk |title=State Resident's Names |url=http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-name/resident-names.html |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117111227/http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-name/resident-names.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}(colloquial)
* Connecticuter<ref>{{Cite journal|website=U.S. Government Printing Office|title=Style Manual|year=2000|at=§5.23|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080831023726/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/|archive-date=August 31, 2008}}</ref>
* Connecticutian<ref>{{cite web |title=Connecticutian |website=Merriam-Webster Online |url=http://nws.merriam-webster.com/opendictionary/newword_search.php?word=Connecticutian |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223637/http://nws.merriam-webster.com/opendictionary/newword_search.php?word=Connecticutian |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Governor = {{nowrap|[[Ned Lamont]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])}}
| Lieutenant Governor = {{nowrap|[[Susan Bysiewicz]] (D)}}
| Legislature = [[Connecticut General Assembly|General Assembly]]
| Upperhouse = [[Connecticut State Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Connecticut House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Judiciary = [[Connecticut Supreme Court]]
| Senators = {{nowrap|[[Richard Blumenthal]] (D)}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Chris Murphy]] (D)}}
| Representative = 5 Democrats
| postal_code = CT
| OfficialLang = [[Template:Official languages of U.S. states and territories|None]]
| area_rank = 48th
| area_total_km2 = 14,356<ref>{{cite web | title=2010 State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates | website=Census.gov| url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/2010/geo/state-area.html | access-date=May 26, 2025}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi = 5,543
| area_land_km2 = 12,559
| area_land_sq_mi = 4,849
| area_water_km2 = 1,809
| area_water_sq_mi = 698
| area_water_percent = 12.6
| population_rank = 29th
| population_as_of = 2024
| 2010Pop = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 3,675,069<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CT/PST045224|accessdate=January 9, 2025|title= United States Census Quick Facts Connecticut}}</ref>
| population_density_rank = 4th
| 2020Density = 288
| 2020DensityUS = 745
| MedianHouseholdIncome = ${{round|91665|-2}} (2<span>0</span>23)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/acsbr-023.pdf|title=Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023|accessdate=January 12, 2025}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = [[List of U.S. states and territories by income#States and territories ranked by median household income|10th]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 5th
| AdmittanceDate = January 9, 1788
| timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset1 = −05:00
| timezone1_DST = EDT
| utc_offset1_DST = −04:00
| Longitude = 71°47′ W to 73°44′ W
| Latitude = 40°58′ N to 42°03′ N
| width_km = 177
| width_mi = 110
| length_km = 113
| length_mi = 70
| elevation_max_point = [[Massachusetts]] border on south slope of [[Mount Frissell]]<ref name="USGS">{{cite web |title=Highest and Lowest Elevations |website=Elevations and Distances in the United States |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |year=2001 |url = http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |access-date=October 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131109183109/http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=November 9, 2013 }}</ref>{{efn|Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]]|name=NAVD88}}
| elevation_max_m = 725
| elevation_max_ft = 2,379
| elevation_m = 150
| elevation_ft = 500
| elevation_min_point = [[Long Island Sound]]<ref name="USGS" />{{efn|name=NAVD88}}
| elevation_min_m = 0
| elevation_min_ft = 0
| iso_code = US-CT
| TradAbbreviation = Conn.
| website = https://ct.gov
| Capital = Hartford, Connecticut
| Representatives = 
}}

'''Connecticut''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Connecticut.ogg|k|ə|ˈ|n|ɛ|t|ɪ|k|ə|t}} {{respell|kə|NET|ih|kət}})<ref>{{cite web |url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/connecticut |title=Connecticut |website=Dictionary.com |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101124103256/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/connecticut |archive-date=November 24, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> is a [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[New England]] region of the [[Northeastern United States]]. It borders [[Rhode Island]] to the east, [[Massachusetts]] to the north, [[New York (state)|New York]] to the west, and [[Long Island Sound]] to the south. Its capital is [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], and its most populous city is [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]]. Connecticut lies between the major hubs of [[New York City]] and [[Boston]] along the [[Northeast megalopolis|Northeast Corridor]], where the [[New York metropolitan area|New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area]], which includes four of Connecticut's seven largest cities, extends into the southwestern part of the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/metroarea/us_wall/Jul2023/CSA_WallMap_Jul2023.pdf |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=November 26, 2024 | title=Combined Statistical Areas Wall Map (July 2023)}}</ref> Connecticut is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|third-smallest state by area]] after [[Rhode Island]] and [[Delaware]], and the [[List of U.S. states and territories by population|29th most populous]] with more than 3.6 million residents as of 2024,<ref name="ConnecticutQuickFacts">{{cite web
|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CT/PST045223
|title=US Census Bureau QuickFacts|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> ranking it fourth among the [[List of states and territories of the United States by population density|most densely populated U.S. states]].

The state is named after the [[Connecticut River]], the longest in New England, which roughly bisects the state and drains into the Long Island Sound between the towns of [[Old Saybrook, Connecticut|Old Saybrook]] and [[Old Lyme, Connecticut|Old Lyme]]. The name of the river is in turn derived from anglicized spellings of {{lang|xpq|Quinnetuket}}, a [[Mohegan-Pequot language|Mohegan-Pequot]] word for "long tidal river".<ref>{{cite book |last=Trumbull |first=James Hammond |url={{google books|JS8TAAAAYAAJ|plainurl=yes|page=60}} |title=Indian Names of Places, Etc., in and on the Borders of Connecticut: With Interpretations of Some of Them |publisher=Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company |year=1881 |location=Hartford, Connecticut |page=60}}</ref> Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the region was inhabited by various [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] tribes. In 1633, the [[Dutch West India Company]] established a small, short-lived settlement called [[House of Hope (fort)|House of Hope]] in Hartford. Half of Connecticut was initially claimed by the Dutch colony [[New Netherland]], which included much of the land between the Connecticut and [[Delaware River|Delaware]] Rivers, although the first major settlements were established by the English around the same time. [[Thomas Hooker]] led a band of followers from the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] to form the [[Connecticut Colony]], while other settlers from Massachusetts founded the [[Saybrook Colony]] and the [[New Haven Colony]]; both had merged into the first by 1664.

Connecticut's official nickname, the "Constitution State", refers to the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut|Fundamental Orders]] adopted by the Connecticut Colony in 1639, which is considered by some to be the first written constitution in Western history.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://portal.ct.gov/csl/research/state-nicknames?language=en_US |title=Connecticut's Nicknames |website=CT.gov |access-date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240101215401/https://portal.ct.gov/csl/research/state-nicknames?language=en_US |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |url-status=live }}</ref> As one of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] that rejected British rule during the [[American Revolution]], Connecticut was influential in the development of the [[federal government of the United States]]. In 1787, [[Roger Sherman]] and [[Oliver Ellsworth]], state delegates to the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]], proposed [[Connecticut Compromise|a compromise]] between the [[Virginia Plan|Virginia]] and [[New Jersey Plan|New Jersey]] Plans;<ref>{{cite web |url = https://connecticuthistory.org/the-connecticut-compromise |title=The Connecticut Compromise |website=Connecticut History |date=July 16, 2020 |access-date=May 6, 2024 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231220230458/https://connecticuthistory.org/the-connecticut-compromise |archive-date=December 20, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> its [[bicameralism|bicameral]] structure for [[United States Congress|Congress]], with a respectively proportional and equal representation of the states in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]], was adopted and remains to this day. In January 1788, Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the [[Constitution of the United States|Constitution]].

Connecticut is a developed and affluent state, performing well on the [[List of U.S. states and territories by Human Development Index score|Human Development Index]] and on [[List of U.S. states and territories by income|different metrics of income]] except for [[List of U.S. states and territories by income inequality|equality]]. It is home to a number of prestigious educational institutions, including [[Yale University]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], as well as other [[Liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts colleges]] and private [[boarding school]]s in and around the "[[Hartford–Springfield|Knowledge Corridor]]". Due to its geography, Connecticut has maintained a strong maritime tradition; the [[United States Coast Guard Academy]] is located in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] by the [[Thames River (Connecticut)|Thames River]]. The state is also associated with the aerospace industry through major companies [[Pratt & Whitney]] and [[Sikorsky Aircraft]] headquartered in [[East Hartford, Connecticut|East Hartford]] and [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]], respectively. Historically a manufacturing center for arms, hardware, and timepieces,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ctvisit.com/articles/connecticut%E2%80%99s-manufacturing-might |title=Connecticut's Manufacturing Might |website=CTvisit |access-date=May 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129151429/https://ctvisit.com/articles/connecticut%E2%80%99s-manufacturing-might |archive-date=November 29, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut, as with the rest of the region, had transitioned into an economy based on the financial, insurance, and real estate sectors; many multinational firms providing such services can be found concentrated in the state capital of [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] and along the [[Gold Coast (Connecticut)|Gold Coast]] in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]].

==History==
{{Main|History of Connecticut}}
[[File:Ctcolony.png|thumb|upright=1.7|A map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies]]

===First people===
The name Connecticut is derived from the [[Mohegan-Pequot language|Mohegan-Pequot]] word that has been translated as "long tidal river" and "upon the long river",<ref name="Project">{{cite book |author=Federal Writers' Project |title=Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore and People |url = {{Google books|CPYfSsQ-WE4C|page=3|plainurl=yes}} |access-date=September 23, 2010 |publisher=US History Publishers |isbn = 978-1-60354-007-0 |year=1938 |page = 3 }}</ref> both referring to the [[Connecticut River]]. Evidence of human presence in the Connecticut region dates to as far back as 10,000 years ago. Stone tools were used for hunting, fishing, and woodworking.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thebarnesmuseum.org/blog/prehistoric-artifacts-from-connecticut | title=Prehistoric Artifacts from Connecticut }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ctexplored.org/the-first-immigrants-the-english/ | title=The First Immigrants, the English | date=May 23, 2022 }}</ref> Semi-nomadic in lifestyle, these peoples moved seasonally to take advantage of various resources in the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://connecticuthistory.org/overland-travel-in-connecticut-from-footpaths-to-interstates/ | title=Overland Travel in Connecticut, from Footpaths to Interstates - Connecticut History &#124; a CTHumanities Project | date=January 2, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nativetech.org/Nipmuc/niacfaq.html | title=FAQ for the Nipmuc Indian Association of Connecticut }}</ref> They shared languages based on [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/Connecticut/111242#258058.toc |title=Connecticut: Colonization |work=Britannica Academic |access-date=October 18, 2022}}</ref> The Connecticut region was inhabited by many [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes that can be grouped into the [[Nipmuc]], the Sequin or "River Indians" (which included the [[Tunxis]], [[Schaghticoke people|Schaghticoke]], [[Podunk people|Podunk]], [[Wangunk]], [[Hammonasset people|Hammonasset]], and [[Quinnipiac]]), the [[Mattabesec]] or "Wappinger Confederacy" and the [[Pequot|Pequot-Mohegan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/nativeamericans/cttribes|title=LibGuides Home: Native American Research: List of Historical Connecticut Tribes|first=History &|last=Genealogy|website=Libguides.ctstatelibrary.org|access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026190248/https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/nativeamericans/cttribes|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of these groups still reside in Connecticut, including the [[Mohegan people|Mohegans]], the [[Pequot people|Pequots]], and the [[Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation|Paugusetts]].<ref>"[http://www.cslib.org/tribes.htm Connecticut Native American Tribes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927185519/http://www.cslib.org/tribes.htm |date=September 27, 2013 }}", Connecticut State Library. Retrieved May 16, 2014.</ref>

===Colonial period===

{{Main|New Netherland|Saybrook Colony|Connecticut Colony|New Haven Colony|New England Confederation|Dominion of New England}}

Dutchman [[Adriaen Block]] was the first European explorer in Connecticut.<ref>{{cite journal|last2=Varekamp|first2=Daphne|date=Spring–Summer 2006|title=Adriaen Block, The Discovery of Long Island Sound and the New Netherlands Colony: What Drove the Course of History?|url=http://seagrant.uconn.edu/publications/magazines/wracklines/springsummer06/block.pdf|journal=Wrack Lines|volume=6|issue=1|access-date=May 16, 2014|last1=Varekamp|first1=Johan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223638/http://seagrant.uconn.edu/publications/magazines/wracklines/springsummer06/block.pdf|archive-date=December 31, 2015}}</ref> He explored the region in 1614. [[Dutch colonization of the Americas|Dutch]] fur traders then sailed up the [[Connecticut River]], calling it Versche Rivier ("Fresh River") and building a fort at Dutch Point in Hartford, which they named "House of Hope" ({{langx|nl|Huis van Hoop}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colonialwarsct.org/1614.htm|title=1614 Adriaen|website=The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-date=May 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517135338/http://colonialwarsct.org/1614.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:3c Connecticut Tercentenary,The Charter Oak single, 1935 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|On April 26, 1935, the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the initial settlement of the Connecticut colony.]]
The Connecticut Colony originally consisted of several smaller settlements in Windsor, Wethersfield, Saybrook, Hartford, and New Haven. The first English settlers came in 1633 and settled at Windsor, then at Wethersfield the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cslib.org/earlysettlers.htm|title=Early Settlers of Connecticut|publisher=Connecticut State Library|access-date=July 25, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420061052/http://www.cslib.org/earlysettlers.htm|archive-date=April 20, 2010}}</ref> [[John Winthrop the Younger]] of Massachusetts received a commission to create [[Saybrook Colony]] at the mouth of the Connecticut River in 1635.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saybrookhistory.org/web_page.php?id=13|title=Brief History of Old Saybrook|website=Old Saybrook Historical Society|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140516202750/http://www.saybrookhistory.org/web_page.php?id=13|archive-date=May 16, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A large group of [[Puritan]]s arrived in 1636 from [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]], led by [[Thomas Hooker]], who established the [[Connecticut Colony]] at Hartford.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colonialwarsct.org/1636.htm|title=1636-Hartford|website=The Society of Colonial Wars in Connecticut|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-date=February 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211004109/http://colonialwarsct.org/1636.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut]] were adopted in January 1639, and have been described as the first constitutional document in America.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392608 |title=STATE OF CONNECTICUT Sites º Seals º Symbols |access-date=January 25, 2008 |author=Secretary of the State of Connecticut |author-link=Secretary of the State of Connecticut |year=2007 |work=the Connecticut State Register and Manual |publisher=[[State of Connecticut]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926135650/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392608 |archive-date=September 26, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Quinnipiack Colony<ref>{{cite book|url={{google books|wmdJAAAAMAAJ|plainurl=yes|page=176}}|title=New Englander and Yale Review|date=1887|publisher=W.L. Kingsley|volume=47|pages=176–177|editor-last2=Kingsley|editor-first2=William Lathrop|editor-last3=Fisher|editor-first3=George Park|editor-last4=Dwight|editor-first4=Timothy|display-editors=3|editor-first1=Edward Royall|editor-last1=Tyler}}</ref> was established by [[John Davenport (clergyman)|John Davenport]], [[Theophilus Eaton]], and others at New Haven in March 1638. The New Haven Colony had its own constitution called "The Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony", signed on June 4, 1639.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/ct01.asp|title=Fundamental Agreement, or Original Constitution of the Colony of New Haven, June 4, 1639|website=The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy|publisher=Yale Law School|access-date=May 16, 2014|date=December 18, 1998|archive-date=August 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808131901/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/ct01.asp|url-status=live}}</ref>

Each settlement was an independent political entity, established without official sanction of the English Crown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.colonialwarsct.org/1638_new_haven.htm|title=1638—New Haven—The Independent Colony|website=The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-date=November 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141115210256/http://www.colonialwarsct.org/1638_new_haven.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1662, Winthrop traveled to England and obtained a charter from [[Charles II of England|Charles{{nbsp}}II]] which united the settlements of Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://colonialwarsct.org/1662.htm|title=1662-Charter for Connecticut|website=The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-date=May 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516233559/http://colonialwarsct.org/1662.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically significant colonial settlements included [[Windsor, Connecticut|Windsor]] (1633), [[Wethersfield, Connecticut|Wethersfield]] (1634), [[Deep River, Connecticut|Saybrook]] (1635), [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] (1636), [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] (1638), [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]] (1639), [[Guilford, Connecticut|Guilford]] (1639), [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]] (1639), [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]] (1639), [[Farmington, Connecticut|Farmington]] (1640), [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]] (1641), and [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] (1646).

The [[Pequot War]] marked the first significant clash between colonists and Native Americans in New England. The Pequot had been aggressively extending their area of control at the expense of the Wampanoag to the north, Narragansett (east), Connecticut River Valley Algonquian tribes and the Mohegan (west), and Lenape Algonquian people (south).<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |last=Estes |first=Roberta |date=September 10, 2012 |title=The 1637 Pequot War |url=https://nativeheritageproject.com/2012/09/10/the-1637-pequot-war/ |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Native Heritage Project |language=en}}</ref> Meanwhile, the Pequot had been reacting with increasing aggression to colonial territorial expansion. In response to the 1636 murder of an English privateer and his crew, followed by the murder of a trader,<ref name="auto2"/> colonists raided a Pequot village on [[Block Island]]. The Pequots laid siege to Saybrook Colony's garrison that autumn, then raided Wethersfield in the spring of 1637. Organizing a band of militia and allies from the Mohegan and Narragansett tribes, colonists declared war and attacked a Pequot village on the [[Mystic River (Connecticut)|Mystic River]]. Death toll estimates range between 300 and 700 Pequots. After suffering another major loss at a battle in [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]], the Pequots sued for peace.<ref>{{cite book|url={{google books|YHVwmVKjhaoC|plainurl=yes|page=31}}|title=America's Beginnings: The Dramatic Events that Shaped a Nation's Character|last=Williams|first=Tony|date=2010|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-0487-4|pages=32–34}}</ref>

Connecticut's original Charter in 1662 granted it all the land to the "South Sea"—that is, to the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{cite web |website=A Chronology of US Historical Documents |url=http://www.law.ou.edu/ushistory/colony.shtml |title=Connecticut Colony Charter of 1662 |publisher=University of Oklahoma, College of Law |date=March 14, 2006 |access-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723222151/http://www.law.ou.edu/ushistory/colony.shtml |archive-date=July 23, 2010 }}</ref> The [[Treaty of Hartford (1650)|Hartford Treaty]] with the Dutch was signed on September 19, 1650, but never ratified by the British, stated the western boundary of Connecticut ran north from [[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich Bay]] for a distance of {{convert|20|mile|km}},<ref name="BOWEN">{{cite book |last=Bowen |first=Clarence Winthrop |url={{google books|XJUNAAAAQAAJ|plainurl=yes|page=17}} |title=The Boundary Disputes of Connecticut |date=1882 | publisher=James R. Osgood and Company | place=Boston | pages=17–18}}</ref><ref name="FLICK">{{cite book |editor-first=Alexander C. |editor-last=Flick |title=History of the State of New York |volume=2 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |year=1933 |pages=50–57}}</ref> "provided the said line come not within {{convert|10|mi|disp=sqbr}} of Hudson River".<ref name="BOWEN"/><ref name="FLICK"/> This agreement was observed by both sides until war erupted between England and The Netherlands in 1652. Conflict continued concerning colonial limits until the [[James II of England|Duke of York]] captured [[New Netherland]] in 1664.<ref name="BOWEN"/><ref name="FLICK"/>

Most Colonial royal grants were for long east–west strips. Connecticut took its grant seriously and established a ninth county between the [[Susquehanna River]] and [[Delaware River]] named [[Westmoreland County, Connecticut|Westmoreland County]]. This resulted in the brief [[Pennamite-Yankee Wars]] with [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://colonialwarsct.org/1769.htm |title=1769—The Pennamite Wars |website=The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut |access-date=May 16, 2014 |archive-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007000010/http://colonialwarsct.org/1769.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Yale College was established in 1701, providing Connecticut with an important institution to educate clergy and civil leaders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/about-yale/traditions-history|title=Traditions & History|website=Yale University|access-date=May 17, 2014|archive-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021235949/http://www.yale.edu/about-yale/traditions-history|url-status=live}}</ref> The Congregational church dominated religious life in the colony and, by extension, town affairs in many parts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Connecticut: A History|url=https://archive.org/details/connecticutbicen00roth|url-access=registration|last=Roth|first=David M.|date=1979|publisher=W.W. Norton & Co|isbn=978-0-3933-3174-5|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/connecticutbicen00roth/page/40 40–41]}}</ref>

With more than {{convert|600|mi}} of coastline including along its navigable rivers,<ref>{{cite book|author=United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=The Coastline of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=omJjbP-BuYkC&pg=PP2|year=1975|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|pages=2–|access-date=April 19, 2020|archive-date=July 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729155941/https://books.google.com/books?id=omJjbP-BuYkC&pg=PP2|url-status=live}}</ref> Connecticut developed during its colonial years the antecedents of a maritime tradition that would later produce booms in shipbuilding, marine transport, naval support, seafood production, and leisure boating.

Historical records list the ''Tryall'' as the first vessel built in Connecticut Colony, in 1649 at a site on the Connecticut River in present-day Wethersfield.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/history/ |website=Wethersfield Historical Society |title=History |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728183151/https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the two decades leading up to 1776 and the American Revolution, Connecticut boatyards launched about 100 [[sloop]]s, [[schooner]]s and [[brig]]s according to a database of U.S. customs records maintained online by the [[Mystic Seaport|Mystic Seaport Museum]], the largest being the 180-ton ''Patient Mary'' launched in New Haven in 1763.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://research.mysticseaport.org/databases/ct-ships/|website=Mystic Seaport Museum|title=Connecticut Ship Database, 1789–1939|date=August 10, 2016|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=January 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200123105205/https://research.mysticseaport.org/databases/ct-ships/|url-status=live}}</ref> Connecticut's first [[lighthouse]] was constructed in 1760 at the mouth of the [[Thames River (Connecticut)|Thames River]] with the [[New London Harbor Light]]house.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/oldest-lighthouse-new-england-state/|website=New England Historical Society|title=The Oldest Lighthouse in Each New England State|date=January 20, 2018|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728192350/https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/oldest-lighthouse-new-england-state/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====American Revolution====

{{Main|American Revolutionary War}}
[[File:LowsCTmap.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.15|A 1799 map of Connecticut which shows [[The Oblong]], from ''[[Low's Encyclopaedia]]'']]

Connecticut designated four delegates to the [[Second Continental Congress]] who signed the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]: [[Samuel Huntington (statesman)|Samuel Huntington]], [[Roger Sherman]], [[William Williams (Continental Congress)|William Williams]], and [[Oliver Wolcott]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_signers_gallery_facts.pdf |title=Signers of the Declaration of Independence |website=Charters of Freedom |publisher=National Archives |access-date=May 16, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714194721/http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_signers_gallery_facts.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut's legislature authorized the outfitting of six new regiments in 1775, in the wake of the clashes between British regulars and Massachusetts militia at Lexington and Concord. There were some 1,200 Connecticut troops on hand at the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] in June 1775.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wpi.edu/academics/military/hillprelim.html |title=Battle of Bunker's Hill Preliminary Study |website=Military Science, Cadet Resources |publisher=Worcester Polytechnic Institute |access-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518174520/http://www.wpi.edu/academics/military/hillprelim.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1775, [[David Bushnell (inventor)|David Bushnell]] invented the [[Turtle (submersible)|''Turtle'']] which the following year launched the first submarine attack in history, unsuccessfully against a British warship at anchor in New York Harbor.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Roland|first1=Alex|title=Bushnell's Submarine: American Original or European Import?|journal=Technology and Culture|date=1977|volume=18|issue=2|page=159|doi=10.2307/3103954|jstor=3103954|s2cid=112333776  |issn = 0040-165X }}</ref>

In 1777, the British got word of [[Continental Army]] supplies in [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]], and they landed an expeditionary force of some 2,000 troops in [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport]]. This force then marched to Danbury and destroyed homes and much of the depot. Continental Army troops and militia led by General [[David Wooster]] and General [[Benedict Arnold]] engaged them on their return march at [[Battle of Ridgefield|Ridgefield]] in 1777.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/accountoftryonsr00case#page/n3/mode/2up |last=Case |first=James R. |title=An Account of Tryon's Raid on Danbury in April, 1777 |location=Danbury, Connecticut |date=1927 |access-date=October 24, 2015}}</ref> For the winter of 1778–79, General [[George Washington]] decided to split the Continental Army into three divisions encircling [[New York City]], where British General Sir [[Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)|Henry Clinton]] had taken up winter quarters.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Poirier|first1=David A.|title=Camp Reading: Logistics of a Revolutionary War Winter Encampment|journal=Northeast Historical Archaeology|date=1976|volume=5|issue=1|pages=40–52|doi=10.22191/neha/vol5/iss1/5|doi-access=free}}</ref> Major General [[Israel Putnam]] chose Redding as the winter encampment quarters for some 3,000 regulars and militia under his command. The Redding encampment allowed Putnam's soldiers to guard the replenished supply depot in [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]] and to support any operations along Long Island Sound and the [[Hudson River]] Valley.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://putnampark.org/park-history/ |title=Park History |website=Putnam Memorial State Park |access-date=April 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129021812/http://putnampark.org/park-history |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of the men were veterans of the winter encampment at [[Valley Forge]], [[Pennsylvania]], the previous winter. Soldiers at the Redding camp endured supply shortages, cold temperatures, and significant snow, with some historians dubbing the encampment "Connecticut's Valley Forge".<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Keefe |first1=Thomas C. |editor1-last=Johnson |editor1-first=James M. |editor2-last=Pryslopski |editor2-first=Christopher |editor3-last=Villani |editor3-first=Andrew |title=Key to the Northern Country: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution |date=August 1, 2013 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |chapter-url={{google books|NfADAAAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes|page=241}} |access-date=February 17, 2015 |chapter=George Washington and the Redding Encampments}}</ref>

The state was also the launching site for a number of raids against Long Island orchestrated by [[Samuel Holden Parsons]] and [[Benjamin Tallmadge]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hall |first1=Charles Samuel |title=Life and Letters of Samuel Holden Parsons: Major-General in the Continental Army and Chief Judge of the Northwestern Territory, 1737–1789 |year=1905 |publisher=Otseningo Publishing |location=Binghamton, New York |page=110 |url={{google books|llssAAAAMAAJ|plainurl=yes|page=10}} |access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> and provided soldiers and material for the war effort, especially to Washington's army outside New York City. General [[William Tryon]] [[Tryon's raid|raided the Connecticut coast]] in July 1779, focusing on New Haven, Norwalk, and Fairfield.<ref>{{cite book |last=Townshend |first=Charles H. |title=British Invasion of New Haven, Connecticut |location=New Haven, Connecticut |publisher=Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, Printers |date=1879 |url=https://archive.org/stream/britishinvasiono00towniala#page/n3/mode/2up |access-date=May 17, 2014}}</ref> New London and Groton Heights [[Battle of Groton Heights|were raided]] in September 1781 by Benedict Arnold, who had turned traitor to the British.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.hogriver.org/issues/v04n04/benedictarnold.htm |last=Baker |first=Edward |title=Benedict Arnold Turns and Burns New London |journal=Hog River Journal |date=Fall 2006 |volume=4 |issue=4 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713150615/http://www.hogriver.org/issues/v04n04/benedictarnold.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

At the outset of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress assigned [[Nathaniel Shaw|Nathaniel Shaw Jr.]] of New London as its naval agent in charge of recruiting [[privateer]]s to seize British vessels as opportunities presented, with nearly 50 operating out of the Thames River which eventually drew the reprisal from the British force led by Arnold.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nlchs.org/about/shaw-mansion/ |website=New London County Historical Society |title=The Shaw Mansion |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728223349/https://www.nlchs.org/about/shaw-mansion/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Early statehood ===

====Early national period and industrial revolution====

Connecticut [[History of the United States Constitution#Ratification of the Constitution|ratified]] the [[Constitution of the United States|U.S. Constitution]] on January 9, 1788, becoming the fifth state.<ref name="AboutCT" />

The state prospered during the era following the American Revolution, as mills and textile factories were built and seaports flourished from trade<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Bella|first1=Laura|url={{google books|ZYJtf6CoCs4C|plainurl=yes|page=17}}|title=Connecticut: Past and Present|date=August 15, 2010|publisher=[[Rosen Publishing]]|location=New York|page=17|access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> and fisheries. After Congress established in 1790 the predecessor to the [[United States Revenue Cutter Service|U.S. Revenue Cutter Service]] that would evolve into the U.S. Coast Guard, President Washington assigned Jonathan Maltbie as one of seven masters to enforce customs regulations, with Maltbie monitoring the southern New England coast with a 48-foot [[cutter (boat)|cutter]] sloop named [[USRC Argus|''Argus'']].<ref>{{cite web|date=November 29, 2018|title=The Long Blue Line: Argus—first "Heritage" Class Offshore Patrol Cutter|url=https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/11/tlbl-argus-first-opc-namesake/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728223445/https://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2018/11/tlbl-argus-first-opc-namesake/|archive-date=July 28, 2020|access-date=April 18, 2020|website=Coast Guard Compass}}</ref>

In 1786, Connecticut ceded territory to the U.S. government that became part of the [[Northwest Territory]]. The state retained land extending across the northern part of present-day Ohio called the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]].<ref name="United States Summary 2010, page V-5">{{cite report|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|title=User Notes by Table: Table 12|date=September 2010|publisher=United States Census Bureau|page=V-5|access-date=May 16, 2014|work=United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts|archive-date=October 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019110435/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The Western Reserve section was settled largely by people from Connecticut, and they brought Connecticut place names to Ohio.

Connecticut made agreements with Pennsylvania and New York which extinguished the land claims within those states' boundaries and created the [[Connecticut Panhandle]]. The state then ceded the Western Reserve in 1800 to the federal government,<ref name="United States Summary 2010, page V-5" /> which brought it to its present boundaries (other than minor adjustments with Massachusetts).

===19th century===
For the first time in 1800, Connecticut shipwrights launched more than 100 vessels in a single year. Over the following decade to the doorstep of renewed hostilities with Britain that sparked the War of 1812, Connecticut boatyards constructed close to 1,000 vessels, the most productive stretch of any decade in the 19th century.<ref name="auto"/>

During the war, the British launched raids in [[Stonington, Connecticut|Stonington]] and [[Essex, Connecticut|Essex]] and [[blockade]]d vessels in the Thames River. [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]] native [[Isaac Hull]] became Connecticut's best-known naval figure to win renown during the conflict, as captain of the {{USS|Constitution}}.

The British blockade during the [[War of 1812]] hurt exports and bolstered the influence of Federalists who opposed the war.<ref>{{cite book |first1=James |last1=Boyland |first2=Glenn S. |last2=Gordinier |first3=Meredith |last3=Mason Brown |display-authors=etal |title=The Rockets' Red Glare: The War of 1812 and Connecticut |publisher=New London County Historical Society |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-9853-6240-9 }}</ref> The cessation of imports from Britain stimulated the construction of factories to manufacture textiles and machinery. Connecticut came to be recognized as a major center for manufacturing, due in part to the inventions of [[Eli Whitney]] and other early innovators of the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morris |first1=Charles R. |title=The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolution |date=2012 |publisher=[[PublicAffairs]] |page=136 |url={{Google books|n97K02J6eQgC|plainurl=yes|page=136}} |isbn=978-1-6103-9049-1 |access-date=February 17, 2015 }}</ref>

The war led to the development of fast [[clipper]]s that helped extend the reach of New England merchants to the Pacific and Indian oceans. The first half of the 19th century saw as well a rapid rise in whaling, with New London emerging as one of the New England industry's three biggest home ports after [[Nantucket, Massachusetts|Nantucket]] and [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Surowiecki |first1=John |date=March 1982 |title=A History of Connecticut's Coast |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CZIC-f94-s87-1982/html/CZIC-f94-s87-1982.htm |pages=15 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |journal= |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728192854/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CZIC-f94-s87-1982/html/CZIC-f94-s87-1982.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The state was known for its political conservatism, typified by its Federalist party and the Yale College of [[Timothy Dwight IV|Timothy Dwight]]. The foremost intellectuals were Dwight and [[Noah Webster]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Elliott |first=Emory |title=Revolutionary Writers: Literature and Authority in the New Republic, 1725–1810 |date=1986 |orig-year=1982 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |page=14 |url={{google books|WmI6avgH0GoC|plainurl=yes|page=14}} |access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> who compiled his great dictionary in New Haven. Religious tensions polarized the state, as the Congregational Church struggled to maintain traditional viewpoints, in alliance with the Federalists. The failure of the [[Hartford Convention]] in 1814 hurt the Federalist cause, with the [[Democratic-Republican Party]] gaining control in 1817.<ref>{{cite book |url = https://archive.org/stream/shortaccountofha00lyma#page/n1/mode/2up |last=Lyman |first=Theodore |title=A Short Account of the Hartford Convention |date=1823 |location=Boston |publisher=O. Everett, publisher |access-date=May 17, 2014 }}</ref>

Connecticut had been governed under the "[[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut|Fundamental Orders]]" since 1639, but the state adopted a new constitution in 1818.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/Content/constitutions/1818Constitution.htm |title=The Constitution of Connecticut (1818) |publisher=Connecticut General Assembly |access-date=May 16, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150504111454/http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/Content/constitutions/1818Constitution.htm |archive-date=May 4, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Civil War era====

{{Main|Connecticut in the American Civil War}}
[[File:View of New London, Connecticut, from the Shore Road.jpg|thumb|View of New London in 1854]]

Connecticut manufacturers played a major role in supplying the Union forces with weapons and supplies during the [[Union (American Civil War)|Civil War]]. The state furnished 55,000 men, formed into thirty full regiments of infantry, including two in the [[U.S. Colored Troops]], with several Connecticut men becoming generals. The Navy attracted 250 officers and 2,100 men, and Glastonbury native [[Gideon Welles]] was Secretary of the Navy. [[James H. Ward]] of Hartford was the first U.S. Naval Officer killed in the Civil War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://norwich.typepad.com/museum/2012/08/james-h-ward-first-us-navy-officer-killed-in-the-civil-war.html |title=James H. Ward, First U.S. Navy Officer Killed in the Civil War |website=Sullivan Museum and History Center |publisher=Norwich University |date=August 20, 2012 |access-date=October 26, 2015 |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910132549/http://norwich.typepad.com/museum/2012/08/james-h-ward-first-us-navy-officer-killed-in-the-civil-war.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Connecticut casualties included 2,088 killed in combat, 2,801 dying from disease, and 689 dying in Confederate prison camps.<ref>{{cite book |last=Van Dusen |first=Albert E. |title=Connecticut |url=https://archive.org/details/connecticut00vand |publisher=Random House |year=1961 |edition=1st |pages = [https://archive.org/details/connecticut00vand/page/224 224–238] }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Matthew |last=Warshauer |title=Connecticut in the American Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice, and Survival |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |date=2011 |url={{google books|Ymuv133JwrEC|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=978-0-8195-7139-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=William Augustus |last1=Croffut |first2=John Moses |last2=Morris |author-link2=John Moses Morris |title=The Military and Civil History of Connecticut During the War of 1861–65 |url = {{Google books|3TUyuhpp9zoC|plainurl=yes}} |year=1869 }}</ref>

A surge of national unity in 1861 brought thousands flocking to the colors from every town and city. However, as the war became a crusade to end slavery, many Democrats (especially Irish Catholics) pulled back. The Democrats took a pro-slavery position and included many [[Copperhead (politics)|Copperheads]] willing to let the South secede. The intensely fought 1863 election for governor was narrowly won by the Republicans.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Joanna D. |last=Cowden |title=The Politics of Dissent: Civil War Democrats in Connecticut |journal=New England Quarterly |date=December 1983 |volume=56 |issue=4 |pages=538–554 |doi=10.2307/365104 |jstor=365104}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Jarlath Robert |last=Lane |title=A Political History of Connecticut During the Civil War |publisher=Catholic University of America Press |date=1941}}</ref>

====Second industrial revolution====

[[File:Connecticut1895.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|1895 map from [[Rand McNally]]]]

Connecticut's extensive industry, dense population, flat terrain, and wealth encouraged the construction of railroads starting in 1839. By 1840, {{convert|102|mile|km}} of line were in operation, growing to {{convert|402|mile|km}} in 1850 and {{convert|601|mile|km}} in 1860.<ref>{{cite book |first=Edward Chase |last=Kirkland |title=Men, Cities and Transportation, A Study of New England History 1820–1900 |publisher=Harvard University Press |date=1948 |volume=2 |pages=72–110, 288–306}}</ref>

The [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]], called the ''New Haven'' or "The Consolidated", became the dominant Connecticut railroad company after 1872. [[J. P. Morgan]] began financing the major New England railroads in the 1890s, dividing territory so that they would not compete. The New Haven purchased 50 smaller companies, including steamship lines, and built a network of light rails (electrified trolleys) that provided inter-urban transportation for all of southern New England. By 1912, the New Haven operated over {{convert|2000|mile|km}} of track with 120,000 employees.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/findaids/NHRR_Smallformat/MSS19910133.html |title=New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Small Format Photograph and Postcard Collection |website=Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center |publisher=University of Connecticut Libraries |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130921094350/http://doddcenter.uconn.edu/asc/findaids/NHRR_Smallformat/MSS19910133.html |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }}</ref>

As steam-powered passenger ships proliferated after the Civil War, [[Noank, Connecticut|Noank]] would produce the two largest built in Connecticut during the 19th century, with the 332-foot wooden steam [[steam paddler|paddle wheeler]] ''Rhode Island'' launched in 1882, and the 345-foot paddle wheeler ''Connecticut'' seven years later. Connecticut shipyards would launch more than 165 steam-powered vessels in the 19th century.<ref name="auto"/>

In 1875, the first telephone exchange in the world was established in New Haven.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/the-first-commercial-telephone-exchange-today-in-history/ |title=First Commercial Telephone Exchange |website=Connecticut History |access-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425042046/http://connecticuthistory.org/the-first-commercial-telephone-exchange-today-in-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===20th century===
====World War I====

When World War I broke out in 1914, Connecticut became a major supplier of weaponry to the U.S. military; by 1918, 80% of the state's industries were producing goods for the war effort.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=The Industrial Northeast: Connecticut |chapter-url={{Google books|EP7bDoZcGTIC|plainurl=yes|page=107}} |last=Breen |first=William J. |title=Labor Market Politics and the Great War: The Department of Labor, the States and the First U.S. Employment Service, 1907–1933 |location=Kent, Ohio |publisher=Kent State University Press |year=1997 |page=107 |access-date=May 29, 2014}}</ref> [[Remington Arms]] in Bridgeport produced half the small-arms cartridges used by the U.S. Army,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-i/ |title=World War I |website=Connecticut History |date=May 13, 2012 |access-date=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=July 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703130403/http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-i/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with other major suppliers including [[Winchester Repeating Arms Company|Winchester]] in New Haven and [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]] in Hartford.{{sfn|Van Dusen|1961|pp=266–268}}

Connecticut was also an important U.S. Navy supplier, with [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]] receiving orders for 85 submarines,<ref name="boat">{{cite web |url=http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |title=EB History |publisher=General Dynamics Electric Boat |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019070946/http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] building more than 20 subs,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/laketorpedo.htm |title=Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport CT |website=Shipbuilding History |access-date=May 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714141246/https://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/laketorpedo.htm |archive-date=July 14, 2014 }}</ref> and the [[Groton Iron Works]] building freighters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/freighter-worcester-launched-today-in-history/ |title=Freighter Worcester Launched |website=Connecticut History |access-date=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425063301/http://connecticuthistory.org/freighter-worcester-launched-today-in-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 21, 1916, the Navy made Groton the site for its East Coast submarine base and school.

The state enthusiastically supported the American war effort in 1917 and 1918 with large purchases of war bonds, a further expansion of industry, and an emphasis on increasing food production on the farms. Thousands of state, local, and volunteer groups mobilized for the war effort and were coordinated by the Connecticut State Council of Defense.<ref>{{cite journal |first=William J. |last=Breen |title=Mobilization and Cooperative Federalism: The Connecticut State Council of Defense, 1917-1919 |journal=Historian |date=1979 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=58–84 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.1979.tb00574.x}}</ref> Manufacturers wrestled with manpower shortages; Waterbury's American Brass and Manufacturing Company was running at half capacity, so the federal government agreed to furlough soldiers to work there.{{sfn|Breen|1997|page=116}}

====Interwar period====

In 1919, J. Henry Roraback started the [[Northeast Utilities|Connecticut Light & Power Co.]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Connecticut Light and Power Co. History |work=International Directory of Company Histories |volume=13 |publisher=St. James Press |date=1996 |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/connecticut-light-and-power-co-history/ |access-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-date=September 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920060048/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/connecticut-light-and-power-co-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which became the state's dominant electric utility. In 1925, [[Frederick Rentschler]] spurred the creation of [[Pratt & Whitney]] in Hartford to develop engines for aircraft; the company became an important military supplier in World War{{nbsp}}II and one of the three major manufacturers of jet engines in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nationalaviation.org/rentschler-frederick/ |title=Frederick Rentschler |website=The National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014043025/http://www.nationalaviation.org/rentschler-frederick/ |archive-date=October 14, 2014 }}</ref>

On September 21, 1938, the most destructive storm in New England history struck eastern Connecticut, killing hundreds of people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov/okx/1938HurricaneHome |title=The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 |website=National Weather Service |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=February 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228115012/http://www.weather.gov/okx/1938HurricaneHome |url-status=live }}</ref> The eye of the [[1938 New England hurricane|"Long Island Express"]] passed just west of New Haven and devastated the Connecticut shoreline between Old Saybrook and Stonington from the full force of wind and waves, even though they had partial protection by Long Island. The hurricane caused extensive damage to infrastructure, homes, and businesses. In New London, a {{convert|500|ft|m|adj=on}} sailing ship was driven into a warehouse complex, causing a major fire. Heavy rainfall caused the Connecticut River to flood downtown Hartford and East Hartford. An estimated 50,000 trees fell onto roadways.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/nyregion/remembering-the-great-hurricane-of-38.html |title=Remembering the Great Hurricane of '38 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 21, 2003 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=July 15, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715173224/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/nyregion/remembering-the-great-hurricane-of-38.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====World War II====

The advent of [[lend-lease]] in support of Britain helped lift Connecticut from the Great Depression,<ref>{{cite thesis |url=http://content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ccsutheses/id/1014 |last=Brandi |first=Anthony P. |type=Masters of Arts |title=Lend-lease: FDR's Most Unheralded Achievement and Connecticut's Unprecedented Response to it |publisher=Central Connecticut State University |date=May 2007 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518012251/http://content.library.ccsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ccsutheses/id/1014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> with the state a major production center for weaponry and supplies used in [[World War II|World War{{nbsp}}II]]. Connecticut manufactured 4.1% of total U.S. military armaments produced during the war, ranking ninth among the 48 states,<ref>{{cite book |author1-link = Whiz Kids (Department of Defense) |last1=Peck |first1=Merton J. |author2-link = Frederic M. Scherer |last2=Scherer |first2=Frederic M. |title=The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis |year=1962 |publisher=[[Harvard Business School]] |page = 111 }}</ref> with major factories including [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.courant.com/2012/08/19/colt-manufacturing-a-timeline-2/ |title=Colt Manufacturing: A Timeline |work=Hartford Courant |date=August 19, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517225233/http://articles.courant.com/2012-08-19/business/hc-colt-timeline-20120817_1_colt-firearms-firearms-division-rampant-colt |url-status=live }}</ref> for firearms, [[Pratt & Whitney]] for aircraft engines, [[Vought|Chance Vought]] for fighter planes, [[Hamilton Standard]] for propellers,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-ii/ |title = World War II |website = Connecticut History |date = May 13, 2012 |access-date = May 17, 2014 |archive-date = July 3, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140703125946/http://connecticuthistory.org/topics-page/world-war-ii/ |url-status = live }}</ref> and [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]] for submarines and PT boats.<ref name="boat" />

On May 13, 1940, [[Igor Sikorsky]] made an untethered flight of the first practical [[helicopter]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/VS-300_Helicopter.php |title=VS-300 Helicopter |website=Sikorsky Archives |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518053613/http://www.sikorskyarchives.com/VS-300_Helicopter.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The helicopter saw limited use in World War II, but future military production made [[Sikorsky Aircraft]]'s [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]] plant Connecticut's largest single manufacturing site by the start of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sikorsky Aircraft Corp ~ Employer Information |website=Labor Market Information |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor |url=http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchDet.asp?intEmpID=144196 |date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223637/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchDet.asp?intEmpID=144196 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Post-World War II economic expansion====

Connecticut lost some wartime factories following the end of hostilities, but the state shared in a general post-war expansion that included the construction of highways<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1380&Q=259704 |title=Interstate Highways Given New Life by Federal Aid Highway Acts |website=Department of Transportation |publisher=State of Connecticut |date=September 9, 2003 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517194607/http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?A=1380&Q=259704 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and resulting in middle-class growth in suburban areas.

[[Prescott Bush]] represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1952 to 1963; his son [[George H. W. Bush]] and grandson [[George W. Bush]] both became presidents of the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/The-Bush-Family.aspx |title=The Bush Family |website=George W. Bush Library |publisher=Southern Methodist University |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518021233/http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/The-Bush-Family.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1965, Connecticut ratified its [[Connecticut Constitution|current constitution]], replacing the document that had served since 1818.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cslib.org/constitutionalAmends/ |title=The Connecticut Constitution, 1965-2005: Legislative History of Amendments |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130806024527/http://www.cslib.org/constitutionalAmends/ |archive-date=August 6, 2013 }} "The Connecticut Constitution, 1965–2008: Legislative History of Amendments", Connecticut State Library. Retrieved May 16, 2014.</ref>

In 1968, commercial operation began for the Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in [[Haddam Neck, Connecticut|Haddam]]; in 1970, the [[Millstone Nuclear Power Plant|Millstone Nuclear Power Station]] began operations in [[Waterford, Connecticut|Waterford]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Gammell |first=Ben |url=http://wnpr.org/post/connecticut-yankee-and-millstone-46-years-nuclear-power |title=Connecticut Yankee and Millstone: 46 Years of Nuclear Power |work=[[WNPR]] |date=January 31, 2014 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517235435/http://wnpr.org/post/connecticut-yankee-and-millstone-46-years-nuclear-power |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1974, Connecticut elected Democratic Governor [[Ella T. Grasso]], who became the first woman in any state to be elected governor without being the wife or widow of a previous governor.<ref name=Pumont>{{cite book |first=Jon E. |last=Purmont |title=Ella Grasso: Connecticut's Pioneering Governor |date=2012 |publisher=Wesleyan University Press |url={{google books|Pos7XDsZauUC|plainurl=yes}} |isbn=978-0-8195-7344-5}}</ref>

====Late 20th century====
{{Expand section|date=October 2021}}
Connecticut's dependence on the defense industry posed an economic challenge at the end of the [[Cold War]]. The resulting budget crisis helped elect [[Lowell Weicker]] as governor on a third-party ticket in 1990. Weicker's remedy was a state income tax which proved effective in balancing the budget, but only for the short-term. He did not run for a second term, in part because of this politically unpopular move.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cslib.org/gov/weickerl.htm |title=Lowell Weicker, Governor of Connecticut |access-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324093619/http://www.cslib.org/gov/weickerl.htm |archive-date=March 24, 2014 }} "Lowell Weicker Governor of Connecticut, 1991–1995", Connecticut State Library, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2014.</ref>

In 1992, initial construction was completed on [[Foxwoods Resort Casino|Foxwoods Casino]] at the [[Mashantucket Pequots]] reservation in eastern Connecticut, which became the largest casino in the Western Hemisphere. [[Mohegan Sun]] followed four years later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Gaming-Division/Gaming/Legalized-Gambling |title=Legalized Gambling |website=Department of Consumer Protection |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518064205/http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?a=4107&q=482860 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Early 21st century===

In 2000, presidential candidate [[Al Gore]] chose Senator [[Joe Lieberman]] as his running mate, marking the first time that a major party presidential ticket included someone of the Jewish faith.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Knowlton |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/08/news/08iht-veep.2.t.html |title=Gore's Choice for His Running Mate: Moderate Senator Who Scorned Clinton: Selecting Lieberman Is Seen as Bold Move; Religion May Be Issue |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 8, 2000 |access-date=May 21, 2014 |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522233903/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/08/news/08iht-veep.2.t.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Gore and Lieberman fell five votes short of [[George W. Bush]] and [[Dick Cheney]] in the Electoral College. In the terrorist [[September 11 attacks|attacks of September 11, 2001]], 65 state residents were killed, mostly [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] residents who were working in the [[World Trade Center (1973-2001)|World Trade Center]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Area victims of 9/11 |work=The Advocate |location=Stamford, Connecticut |date=September 9, 2011 |url=http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Area-victims-of-9-11-2162856.php |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028144322/https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/Area-victims-of-9-11-2162856.php |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2004, Republican Governor [[John G. Rowland]] resigned during a corruption investigation, later pleading guilty to federal charges.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/21/connecticut.governor/ |title=Connecticut Governor Announces Resignation |work=CNN |date=June 21, 2004 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210828/http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/21/connecticut.governor/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/ex-gov-rowland-pleads-guilty-to-corruption/ |title=Ex-Gov. Rowland Pleads Guilty to Corruption |work=Fox News |agency=Associated Press |date=December 23, 2004 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108080933/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2004/12/23/ex-gov-rowland-pleads-guilty-to-corruption/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Connecticut was hit by three major storms in just over 14 months in 2011 and 2012, with all three causing extensive property damage and electric outages. [[Hurricane Irene]] struck Connecticut August 28, and damage totaled $235 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hurricane-irene-year-storm-cost-15-8-damage-florida-new-york-caribbean-article-1.1145302 |title=Hurricane Irene one year later: Storm cost $15.8 in damage from Florida to New York to the Caribbean |location=New York |work=Daily News |agency=Associated Press |date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=November 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116093242/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hurricane-irene-year-storm-cost-15-8-damage-florida-new-york-caribbean-article-1.1145302 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two months later, the [[2011 Halloween nor'easter|"Halloween nor'easter"]] dropped extensive snow onto trees, resulting in snapped branches and trunks that damaged power lines; some areas were without electricity for 11 days.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/05-31-2012-ne-outage-report.pdf |title=Report on Transmission Facility Outages During the Northeast Snowstorm of October 29–30, 2011: Causes and Recommendations |publisher=[[Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]] and [[North American Electric Reliability Corporation]] |date=May 12, 2012 |pages=8–16 |access-date=May 3, 2014 |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224084107/http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/05-31-2012-ne-outage-report.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Hurricane Sandy]] hit New Jersey and passed over Connecticut with hurricane-force winds and tides up to 12 feet above normal. Many coastal buildings were damaged or destroyed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/world/americas/hurricane-sandy-fast-facts/ |title=Hurricane Sandy Fast Facts |work=CNN |date=July 13, 2013 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518044327/http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/world/americas/hurricane-sandy-fast-facts/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sandy's winds drove storm surges into streets and cut power to 98% of homes and businesses, with more than $360 million in damage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2012/11/16/270954.htm |title=Conn. Gov.: State's Damage From Superstorm Sandy $360M and Climbing |work=Insurance Journal |date=November 16, 2012 |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518062130/http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2012/11/16/270954.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

On December 14, 2012, [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting|Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people]] at [[Sandy Hook Elementary School]] in [[Newtown, Connecticut|Newtown]], and then killed himself.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Jonathan |last1=Dienst |first2=Shimon |last2=Prokupecz |title=27 Dead, Including 20 Children, in Conn. School Shooting: Police |work=NBC New York |agency=Associated Press |date=December 14, 2012 |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Shooting-Reported-at-Connecticut-School-183501531.html |access-date=June 6, 2016 |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102052430/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Shooting-Reported-at-Connecticut-School-183501531.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The massacre spurred [[Gun control after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting|renewed efforts]] by activists for tighter laws on gun ownership nationally.<ref>{{cite news |title=State Gun Laws Enacted in the Year Since Newtown |work=The New York Times |date=December 10, 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/10/us/state-gun-laws-enacted-in-the-year-since-newtown.html |access-date=May 17, 2014 |archive-date=May 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140516222510/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/10/us/state-gun-laws-enacted-in-the-year-since-newtown.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the summer and fall of 2016, Connecticut experienced a drought in many parts of the state, causing some water-use bans. As of {{Start date|2016|11|15}}, 45% of the state was listed at Severe Drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, including almost all of [[Hartford County, Connecticut|Hartford]] and [[Litchfield County, Connecticut|Litchfield]] counties. All the rest of the state was in Moderate Drought or Severe Drought, including [[Middlesex County, Connecticut|Middlesex]], [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield]], [[New London County, Connecticut|New London]], [[New Haven County, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Windham County, Connecticut|Windham]], and [[Tolland County, Connecticut|Tolland]] counties. This affected the agricultural economy in the state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CT|title=United States Drought Monitor > Home > State Drought Monitor|website=[[United States Drought Monitor|droughtmonitor.unl.edu]]|access-date=September 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003203723/http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CT|archive-date=October 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nhregister.com/environment-and-nature/20160917/as-connecticuts-drought-worsens-officials-again-urge-water-conservation|title=As Connecticut's drought worsens, officials again urge water conservation|newspaper=New Haven Register |access-date=September 22, 2016|date=September 17, 2016|archive-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923031245/http://www.nhregister.com/environment-and-nature/20160917/as-connecticuts-drought-worsens-officials-again-urge-water-conservation|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Water-Company-Issues-Mandatory-Water-Ban-for-Mystic-Stonington-Customers-393761821.html|title=Water Company Issues Mandatory Water Ban for Parts of CT|date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=September 22, 2016|archive-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923045533/http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Water-Company-Issues-Mandatory-Water-Ban-for-Mystic-Stonington-Customers-393761821.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Connecticut}}

{{Further|Geography of New England}}
Connecticut is bordered on the south by [[Long Island Sound]], on the west by [[New York (state)|New York]], on the north by [[Massachusetts]], and on the east by [[Rhode Island]]. The state capital and fourth largest city is [[Hartford]], and other major cities and towns (by population) include [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]], [[New Haven]], [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]], [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]], [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]], [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]], [[New Britain, Connecticut|New Britain]], [[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich]], and [[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]]. There are 169 [[New England town|incorporated towns]] in Connecticut, with cities and villages included within some towns.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013|title=List of Connecticut Towns & Counties Including Year Established|url=https://ctstatelibrary.org/cttowns/counties|url-status=live|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=CT State Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105055255/http://ctstatelibrary.org/cttowns/counties|archive-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Map of Connecticut NA cropped.png|upright=1.25|thumb|Reference Map showing major highways and settlements]]

The highest peak in Connecticut is [[Bear Mountain (Connecticut)|Bear Mountain]] in [[Salisbury, Connecticut|Salisbury]] in the northwest corner of the state. The highest point is just east of where Connecticut, [[Massachusetts]], and New York meet (42°3′ N, 73°29′ W), on the southern slope of [[Mount Frissell]], whose peak lies nearby in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite peakbagger |pid=7083 |name=Mount Frissell-South Slope, Connecticut/Massachusetts |url-status=dead |url=https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7083 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014192329/https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7083 |archive-date= October 14, 2023 }}</ref> At the opposite extreme, many of the coastal towns have areas that are less than {{convert|20|ft|m}} above sea level.

Connecticut has a long maritime history and a reputation based on that history—yet the state has no direct oceanfront (technically speaking). The coast of Connecticut sits on [[Long Island Sound]], which is an [[estuary]]. The state's access to the open Atlantic Ocean is both to the west (toward New York City) and to the east (toward the "race" near Rhode Island). Due to this unique geography, Long Island Sound and the Connecticut shoreline are relatively protected from high waves from storms.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Press Release: Scientists Find Block Island Sound Protected from Great Storms|url=http://www.columbia.edu/cu/pr/95/18699.html|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=Columbia University }}</ref>

The [[Connecticut River]] cuts through the center of the state, flowing into Long Island Sound. The most populous metropolitan region centered within the state lies in the [[Connecticut River Valley]]. Despite Connecticut's relatively small size, it features wide regional variations in its landscape; for example, in the northwestern [[Litchfield Hills]], it features rolling mountains and horse farms, whereas in areas to the east of New Haven along the coast, the landscape features coastal [[marsh]]es, [[beach]]es, and large scale maritime activities.

Connecticut's rural areas and small towns in the northeast and northwest corners of the state contrast sharply with its industrial cities such as Stamford, Bridgeport, and New Haven, located along the coastal highways from the New York border to New London, then northward up the Connecticut River to Hartford. Many towns in northeastern and northwestern Connecticut center around a [[Village green|green]]. Near the green typically stand historical visual symbols of [[New England]] towns, such as a white [[church (building)|church]], a [[colonial meeting house]], a colonial [[tavern]] or [[inn]], several [[American colonial architecture|colonial houses]], and so on, establishing a scenic historical appearance maintained for both [[historic preservation]] and tourism. Many of the areas in southern and coastal Connecticut have been built up and rebuilt over the years, and look less visually like traditional New England.

The northern boundary of the state with Massachusetts is marked by the [[Southwick Jog]] or Granby Notch, an approximately {{convert|2.5|mile|km}} square detour into Connecticut. The origin of this anomaly is clearly established in a long line of disputes and temporary agreements which were finally concluded in 1804, when southern [[Southwick, Massachusetts|Southwick's]] residents sought to leave Massachusetts, and the town was split in half.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southwickma.org/Public_Documents/SouthwickMA_WebDocs/southwick_jog.pdf |title=The Southwick Jog |last=Dodge |first=Edward R. |website=Town of Southwick, Massachusetts |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929023040/http://www.southwickma.org/Public_Documents/F000102F9/S00476B50-00476B5B.0/The%20Southwick%20Jog.pdf |archive-date=September 29, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cslib.org/jog.htm |title=Connecticut's Southwick Jog |publisher=Connecticut State Library |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024224307/http://www.cslib.org/jog.htm |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The southwestern border of Connecticut where it abuts New York State is marked by a [[Salient (geography)|panhandle]] in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] and the [[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western Connecticut Planning Region]], containing the towns of [[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich]], [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]], [[New Canaan, Connecticut|New Canaan]], [[Darien, Connecticut|Darien]], and parts of [[Norwalk, Connecticut|Norwalk]] and [[Wilton, Connecticut|Wilton]]. This irregularity in the boundary is the result of [[History of Connecticut#Territorial disputes|territorial disputes]] in the late 17th century, culminating with New York giving up its claim to the area, whose residents considered themselves part of Connecticut, in exchange for an equivalent area extending northwards from [[Ridgefield, Connecticut|Ridgefield]] to the Massachusetts border, as well as undisputed claim to [[Rye (town), New York|Rye, New York]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cslib.org/panhandle.htm |title=Connecticut's "Panhandle" |website=Connecticut State Library |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314055555/http://www.cslib.org/panhandle.htm |archive-date=March 14, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Areas maintained by the [[National Park Service]] include [[Appalachian National Scenic Trail]], [[Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor]], and [[Weir Farm National Historic Site]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Connecticut |website=National Park Service |access-date=July 15, 2008 |url=https://www.nps.gov/state/ct/index.htm |archive-date=August 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821175246/http://www.nps.gov/state/ct/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate===
{{further|Climate change in Connecticut}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Connecticut.png|left|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Connecticut, using 1991–2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]].]]
Connecticut lies at the rough transition zone between the southern end of the [[humid continental climate]], and the northern portion of the [[humid subtropical climate]]. Northern Connecticut generally experiences a climate with hot, humid summers and moderataely cold winters with periodic snowfall. Far southern and coastal Connecticut has a climate with cool winters with a mix of rain and infrequent snow, and the long hot and humid summers typical of the middle and lower [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Coastal Connecticut is the very broad transition zone between the humid continental climate and the humid subtropical climate.

==== Precipitation ====
Connecticut sees a fairly even precipitation pattern spread throughout the 12 months.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=OVERVIEW OF CLIMATE IN CONNECTICUT|url=http://www.canr.uconn.edu/nrme/cscc/CTweatherstationintroduction/CONNCTICUTINTRODUCTION.HTM|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=www.canr.uconn.edu|archive-date=October 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023193136/http://www.canr.uconn.edu/nrme/cscc/CTweatherstationintroduction/CONNCTICUTINTRODUCTION.HTM|url-status=dead}}</ref> Connecticut averages 56% of possible sunshine (higher than the U.S. national average), averaging 2,400 hours of [[sunshine]] annually.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm |title=United States Annual Sunshine Map |website=HowStuffWorks |access-date=March 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110429042722/http://maps.howstuffworks.com/united-states-annual-sunshine-map.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Occasionally, some months may see extremes in precipitation, either much higher or lower than normal, though long term droughts and floods are rare.<ref name=":2" />

Early spring can range from slightly cool (40s to low 50s F) to warm (65 to 70 F), while mid and late spring (late April/May) is warm. By late May, the building [[Bermuda High]] creates a southerly flow of warm and humid tropical air, bringing hot weather conditions throughout the state. Average highs are {{convert|81|F|C}} in New London and {{convert|85|F|C}} in Windsor Locks at the peak of summer in late July. On occasion, heat waves with highs from 90 to {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}} occur across Connecticut. Connecticut's record high temperature is {{convert|106|F|C}} which occurred in [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]] on July 15, 1995.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=All-Time Climate Extremes for CT|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/getextreme.php?elem=ALL&state=CT|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102070821/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/getextreme.php?elem=ALL&state=CT|archive-date=November 2, 2011|access-date=March 18, 2011|publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |website=U.S. State Climate Extremes Committee }}</ref> Although summers are sunny in Connecticut, quick moving summer thunderstorms can bring brief downpours with thunder and lightning. Occasionally these thunderstorms can be severe, and the state usually averages one tornado per year.<ref name="tornadoes">{{cite web|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif|title=Annual average number of tornadoes, 1953-2004 |publisher=NOAA National Climatic Data Center|format=[[GIF]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030012752/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif|archive-date=October 30, 2008|access-date=June 2, 2019}}</ref> During hurricane season, the remains of tropical cyclones occasionally affect the region, though a direct hit is rare. Some notable hurricanes to impact the state include the [[1938 New England hurricane]], [[Hurricane Carol]] in 1954, [[Hurricane Sandy]] in 2012, and [[Hurricane Isaias]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=US Department of Commerce|first=NOAA|title=NWS Boston – The Great Hurricane of 1938|url=https://www.weather.gov/box/1938hurricane|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=National Weather Service |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hurricanes|url=https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Communications/Hurricanes/Hurricanes|access-date=October 19, 2021|website=Connecticut Department of Public Health |publisher=CT.gov |language=en}}</ref>

Weather commonly associated with the fall season typically begins in October and lasts to the first days of December. Daily high temperatures in October and November range from the 50s to 60s F. Winters (December through mid-March) are moderately generally cold from south to north in Connecticut. The coldest month (January) has average high temperatures ranging from {{convert|38|F|C}} in the coastal lowlands to {{convert|33|F|C}} in the inland and northern portions on the state. 

The lowest temperature recorded in Connecticut is {{convert|-32|F|C}} which has been observed twice: in [[Falls Village, Connecticut|Falls Village]] on February 16, 1943, and in [[Coventry, Connecticut|Coventry]] on January 22, 1961.<ref name=":3" /> The average yearly snowfall ranges from about {{convert|60|in|mm}} in the higher elevations of the northern portion of the state to only {{convert|20-25|in|mm}} along the southeast coast of Connecticut (Branford to Groton). Most of Connecticut has less than 60 days of snow cover, while coastal areas often only see 30 days or so of snowcover. Annually, 95% of seasonal snowfall in Connecticut falls from early December to late March. On occasion in winter, Connecticut can occasionally get heavy snowstorms, called [[nor'easter]]s, which may produce as much as two feet of snow on rare occasions.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite news|agency=Associated Press |first1=Lidia |last1=Ryan |first2=Frank |last2=Juliano |date=December 16, 2020|title=A look back at historic snow storms in Connecticut|url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/A-look-back-at-historic-snow-storms-in-Connecticut-214396.php|url-status=live|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=Connecticut Post|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217022008/https://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/A-look-back-at-historic-snow-storms-in-Connecticut-214396.php |archive-date=December 17, 2020 }}</ref> Although rare, [[Ice storm]]s also occur on occasion, such as the [[Southern New England ice storm of 1973]]. 
{| class="wikitable"
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:120%;background:#E8EAFA;" |Monthly normal high and low temperatures for various Connecticut cities (°F)
|-
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000; height:17px;" | City
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jan
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Feb
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Mar
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Apr
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | May
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jun
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Jul
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Aug
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Sep
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Oct
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Nov
! style="background:#e5afaa; color:#000;" | Dec
|-
! style="background:#f8f3ca; color:#000; height:16px;" | Bridgeport
| style="text-align:center; background:#0ff; color:#000;" | 38/24
| style="text-align:center; background:#0fe; color:#000;" | 40/25
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ffae; color:#000;" | 47/32
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff5e; color:#000;" | 58/41
| style="text-align:center; background:#0f1; color:#000;" | 68/51
| style="text-align:center; background:#4f0; color:#000;" | 77/61
| style="text-align:center; background:#7f0; color:#000;" | 83/67
| style="text-align:center; background:#6eff00; color:#000;" | 81/67
| style="text-align:center; background:#3f0; color:#000;" | 75/59
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff2f; color:#000;" | 64/48
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff7b; color:#000;" | 53/38
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ffd4; color:#000;" | 43/30
|-
! style="background:#c5dfe1; color:#000; height:16px;" | Hartford
| style="text-align:center; background:#00d9ff; color:#000;" | 35/18
| style="text-align:center; background:#00f7ff; color:#000;" | 38/20
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ffc3; color:#000;" | 47/28
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff62; color:#000;" | 60/38
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff08; color:#000;" | 71/48
| style="text-align:center; background:#4f0; color:#000;" | 79/57
| style="text-align:center; background:#73ff00; color:#000;" | 85/63
| style="text-align:center; background:#62ff00; color:#000;" | 83/61
| style="text-align:center; background:#1aff00; color:#000;" | 75/53
| style="text-align:center; background:#00ff48; color:#000;" | 63/42
| style="text-align:center; background:#0f9; color:#000;" | 51/33
| style="text-align:center; background:#00fff7; color:#000;" | 40/24
|-
| colspan="13" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;background:#E8EAFA;" |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/06604 |title=Monthly Averages for Bridgeport, CT |publisher=[[The Weather Channel]] |access-date=September 15, 2011 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120181654/http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/06604 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/06604 |title=Monthly Averages for Hartford, CT |publisher=[[The Weather Channel]] |access-date=September 15, 2011 |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120181654/http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/06604 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

===Flora===

{{Main|Flora of Connecticut}}

{{See also|List of Connecticut tree species}}

Forests consist of a mix of [[Northeastern coastal forests]] of oak in southern areas of the state, to the upland [[New England-Acadian forests]] in the northwestern parts of the state. Mountain Laurel (''[[Kalmia latifolia]]'') is the state flower and is native to low ridges in several parts of Connecticut. Rosebay rhododendron (''[[Rhododendron maximum]]'') is also native to eastern uplands of Connecticut and [[Pachaug State Forest]] is home to the Rhododendron Sanctuary Trail. Atlantic white cedar (''[[Chamaecyparis thyoides]]''), is found in wetlands in the southern parts of the state. Connecticut has one native cactus (''[[Opuntia humifusa]]''), found in sandy coastal areas and low hillsides. Several types of beach grasses and wildflowers are also native to Connecticut.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=David M. |last2=Dinerstein |first2=Eric |last3=Wikramanayake |first3=Eric D. |display-authors=etal |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal=[[BioScience]] |year=2001 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=933–938 |doi= 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:teotwa]2.0.co;2|issn=0006-3568|doi-access=free }}</ref> Connecticut spans [[USDA Plant Hardiness Zones]] 5b to 7a. Coastal Connecticut is the broad transition zone where more southern and subtropical plants are cultivated.

===Fauna===
{{Main|Fauna of Connecticut}}

=== Largest cities and towns ===
{{Largest cities
| country = Connecticut
| stat_ref = <ref name="census1">{{cite web|url=https://www.connecticut-demographics.com/cities_by_population|title=Cities by Population|access-date=January 6, 2022}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name =
| div_link = Councils of governments in Connecticut{{!}}Region
| city_1 = Bridgeport, Connecticut{{!}}Bridgeport
| div_1 = Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Greater Bridgeport
| pop_1 = 148,654
| city_2 = Stamford, Connecticut{{!}}Stamford
| div_2 = Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Western
| pop_2 = 135,470
| city_3 = New Haven, Connecticut{{!}}New Haven
| div_3 = South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}South Central
| pop_3 = 134,023
| city_4 = Hartford, Connecticut{{!}}Hartford
| div_4 = Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Capitol
| pop_4 = 121,054
| city_5 = Waterbury, Connecticut{{!}}Waterbury
| div_5 = Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Naugatuck Valley
| pop_5 = 114,403
| city_6 = Norwalk, Connecticut{{!}}Norwalk
| div_6 = Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Western
| pop_6 = 91,184
| city_7 = Danbury, Connecticut{{!}}Danbury
| div_7 = Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Western
| pop_7 = 86,518
| city_8 = New Britain, Connecticut{{!}}New Britain
| div_8 = Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Capitol
| pop_8 = 74,135
| city_9 = West Hartford, Connecticut{{!}}West Hartford
| div_9 = Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Capitol
| pop_9 = 64,083
| city_10 = Greenwich, Connecticut{{!}}Greenwich
| div_10 = Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Western
| pop_10 = 63,518
| city_11 = Fairfield, Connecticut{{!}}Fairfield
| div_11 = Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Greater Bridgeport
| pop_11 = 61,512
| city_12 = Hamden, Connecticut{{!}}Hamden
| div_12 =  South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}South Central
| pop_12 = 61,169
| city_13 = Meriden, Connecticut{{!}}Meriden
| div_13 = South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}South Central
| pop_13 = 60,850
| city_14 = Bristol, Connecticut{{!}}Bristol
| div_14 = Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Naugatuck Valley
| pop_14 = 60,833
| city_15 = Manchester, Connecticut{{!}}Manchester
| div_15 = Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Capitol
| pop_15 = 59,713
| city_16 = West Haven, Connecticut{{!}}West Haven
| div_16 = South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}South Central
| pop_16 = 55,584
| city_17 = Stratford, Connecticut{{!}}Stratford
| div_17 = Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Greater Bridgeport
| pop_17 = 52,355
| city_18 = Milford, Connecticut{{!}}Milford
| div_18 = South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}South Central
| pop_18 = 52,044
| city_19 = East Hartford, Connecticut{{!}}East Hartford
| div_19 = Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Capitol
| pop_19 = 51,045
| city_20 = Middletown, Connecticut{{!}}Middletown
| div_20 = Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut{{!}}Lower Connecticut River Valley
| pop_20 = 47,717
}}

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1790= 237946
|1800= 251002
|1810= 261942
|1820= 275248
|1830= 297675
|1840= 309978
|1850= 370792
|1860= 460147
|1870= 537454
|1880= 622700
|1890= 746258
|1900= 908420
|1910= 1114756
|1920= 1380631
|1930= 1606903
|1940= 1709242
|1950= 2007280
|1960= 2535234
|1970= 3031709
|1980= 3107576
|1990= 3287116
|2000= 3405565
|2010= 3574097
|2020= 3605944
| estimate = 3675069
| estyear = 2024
| align-fn = center
|footnote='''Sources:'''<ref name="ConnecticutQuickFacts"/><ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-16.pdf|title=Population: 1790 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 25, 2015|date=|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115837/http://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-16.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|url-status=dead|title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)|archivedate=April 29, 2021|website=Census.gov}}</ref>
}}

As of the [[2020 United States census]], Connecticut has a population of 3,605,944, an increase of 31,847 people (0.9%) from the [[2010 United States census]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=US Census Bureau|date=August 25, 2021|title=CONNECTICUT: 2020 Census|url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/connecticut-population-change-between-census-decade.html|url-status=live|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=Census.gov|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831171323/https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/connecticut-population-change-between-census-decade.html |archive-date=August 31, 2021 }}</ref> Among the census records, 20.4% of the population was under 18.

In 1790, 97% of the population in Connecticut was classified as "rural". The first census in which less than half the population was classified as rural was 1890. In the 2000 census, only 12.3% was considered rural. Most of western and southern Connecticut (particularly the [[Gold Coast (Connecticut)|Gold Coast]]) is strongly associated with New York City; this area is the most affluent and populous region of the state and has high property costs and high incomes. The [[center of population]] of Connecticut is located in the town of [[Cheshire, Connecticut|Cheshire]].<ref name=NGS>{{cite web |url=http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/INFO/COP/ct_links.htm |title=State of Connecticut Center of Population |website=Center of Population Project |publisher=National Geodetic Survey |access-date=January 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901200651/http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/INFO/COP/ct_links.htm |archive-date=September 1, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]'s 2022 [[Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress|Annual Homeless Assessment Report]], there were an estimated 2,930 [[Homelessness in Connecticut|homeless people in Connecticut]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf|title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress}}</ref>
[[File:Ethnic Origins in Connecticut.png|thumb|363x363px|Ethnic origins in Connecticut]]
[[File:Connecticut population density 2020.png|right|thumb|upright=1.25|Population density map of Connecticut as of 2020]]

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Racial and ethnic composition as of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]
|-
! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/race-and-ethnicity-in-the-united-state-2010-and-2020-census.html |title=Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census
 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 12, 2021 |website=census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 26, 2021}}</ref>
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Alone
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|63.2|%|2||background:gray}}
|align=right| {{bartable|66.6|%|2||background:gray}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]{{efn|Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are not distinguished between total and partial ancestry.}}
|align=right| {{bartable}}
|align=right| {{bartable|17.3|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[African Americans|African American (non-Hispanic)]]
|align=right| {{bartable|10.0|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|align=right| {{bartable|11.4|%|2||background:mediumblue}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|4.7|%|2||background:purple}}
|align=right| {{bartable|5.5|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.2|%|2||background:gold}}
|align=right| {{bartable|1.1|%|2||background:gold}}
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]
|align=right| {{bartable|0.03|%|2||background:pink}}
|align=right| {{bartable|0.1|%|2||background:pink}}
|-
| Other
|align=right| {{bartable|0.8|%|2||background:brown}}
|align=right| {{bartable|2.1|%|2||background:brown}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ '''Historical racial composition of Connecticut'''
|-
! Racial composition !! 1990<ref name="Race2000">{{cite report |first1=Campbell |last1=Gibson |first2=Kay |last2=Jung |date=September 2002 |title=Table A-1. Race and Hispanic Origin, for the United States, Regions, Divisions, and States: 1990 |work=Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For the United States, Regions, Divisions, and States |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/REFERENCE/Hist_Pop_stats.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=May 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514005030/http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/REFERENCE/Hist_Pop_stats.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>!! 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPSLDH2000.DP1?g=040XX00US09|title=Race and Hispanic or Latino: 2000|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=June 18, 2025|archive-date=June 18, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618023051/https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPSLDH2000.DP1?g=040XX00US09|url-status=live}}</ref>!! 2010<ref name="Race2010">{{cite web|title=Race and Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2010|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPCD1152010.DP1?g=040XX00US09|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250618023408/https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDPCD1152010.DP1?g=040XX00US09|access-date=June 18, 2025|archive-date=June 18, 2025|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>!! 2020<ref name="2020DP1">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=040XX00US09 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Connecticut |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=April 2, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[White American|White]] || 87.0% || 81.6% || 77.6% || 66.4%
|-
| [[African American|Black]] || 8.3% || 9.1% || 10.1% || 10.8%
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 1.5% || 2.4% || 3.8% || 4.8%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native]] || 0.2% || 0.3% || 0.3% || 0.4%
|-
| [[Native Hawaiian]] and<br />[[Pacific Islander|other Pacific Islander]] || – || – || – || –
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Other race]] || 2.9% || 4.3% || 5.6% || 8.3%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || – || 2.2% || 2.6% || 9.2%
|}

In common with the majority of the United States, non-Hispanic whites have remained the dominant racial and ethnic group in Connecticut. From being 98% of the population in 1940, however, they have declined to 63% of the population as of the 2020 census.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Race2000" /> These statistics have represented fewer Americans identifying as non-Hispanic white, which has given rise to the Hispanic and Latino American population and Asian American population overall.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Frey|first=William H.|date=August 13, 2021|title=New 2020 census results show increased diversity countering decade-long declines in America's white and youth populations|url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/new-2020-census-results-show-increased-diversity-countering-decade-long-declines-in-americas-white-and-youth-populations/|access-date=February 17, 2022|website=Brookings|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=August 12, 2021|title=US census: Hispanic and Asian-American driving US population growth|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58195166|access-date=February 17, 2022}}</ref> {{as of|2011}}, 46.1% of Connecticut's population younger than age{{nbsp}}1 were minorities.<ref>{{cite news|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|work=[[The Plain Dealer]]|location=Cleveland, Ohio|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|url-status=live|access-date=August 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|archive-date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> As of 2004, 11.4% of the population (400,000) was foreign-born. In 1870, native-born Americans had accounted for 75% of the state's population, but that had dropped to 35% by 1918. Also as of 2000, 81.69% of Connecticut residents age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke English at home and 8.42% spoke Spanish, followed by Italian at 1.59%, French at 1.31%, and Polish at 1.20%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=9&mode=state_tops&order=r |title=Most spoken languages in Connecticut |access-date=January 16, 2007 |website=Language Map |publisher=The Modern Language Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012085608/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The largest ancestry groups since 2010 were:<ref>{{cite web|website=American FactFinder |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3308&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=04000US09&-format=&-_lang=en |title=American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates |access-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211181757/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-context=adp&-qr_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_DP3YR2&-ds_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_&-tree_id=3308&-redoLog=false&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=04000US09&-format=&-_lang=en |archive-date=February 11, 2020 }}</ref> 19.3% [[Italian American|Italian]], 17.9% [[Irish American|Irish]], 10.7% [[English American|English]], 10.4% [[German Americans|German]], 8.6% [[Polish American|Polish]], 6.6% [[Franco American|French]], 3.0% [[French Canadian]], 2.7% [[Americans|American]], 2.0% [[Scottish American|Scottish]], and 1.4% [[Scotch-Irish American|Scotch Irish]].

Connecticut is one of the most racially [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] states in the nation, with the nonwhite population largely concentrated in major urban areas such as Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury. In many cases, towns neighboring urban areas are sharply segregated from them.<ref name=":4" />

The top countries of origin for Connecticut's immigrants in 2018 were [[India]], [[Jamaica]], the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Poland]] and [[Ecuador]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_connecticut.pdf|title=Immigrants in Connecticut}}</ref>

===Birth data===
''Note: Births in table do not add up because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.''
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|+ Live Births by Single Race/Ethnicity of Mother
|-
! [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|Race]]
! 2013<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2013 |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911162514/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_01.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2014<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2014 |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214040341/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2015<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2015 |access-date=May 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831155911/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf |archive-date=August 31, 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2016<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2016 |access-date=May 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603002249/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf |archive-date=June 3, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2017<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |title=Births: Final Data for 2017 |access-date=February 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201210916/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
! 2018<ref>
{{cite journal |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128042511/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13-508.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |url-status=live |title=Births: Final Data for 2018 |date=November 27, 2019 |journal=National Vital Statistics Reports |first1=Joyce A. |last1=Martin |first2=Brady E. |last2=Hamilton |first3=Michelle J.K. |last3=Osterman |first4=Anne K. |last4=Driscoll |volume=68 |issue=13 |pages=1–47 |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |pmid=32501202 |access-date=December 2, 2019}}</ref>
! 2019<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323152401/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-02-508.pdf |archive-date=March 23, 2021 |url-status=live |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=March 27, 2021}}</ref>
! 2020<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207140709/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/NVSR70-17.pdf |archive-date=February 7, 2022 |url-status=live |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=February 20, 2022}}</ref>
! 2021<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf |title=Data |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=February 2, 2022}}</ref>
! 2022<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 4, 2024}}</ref>
! 2023<ref>
{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-1.pdf |title=Data |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=April 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
| 20,704 (57.4%)
| 20,933 (57.7%)
| 20,395 (57.0%)
| 19,551 (54.3%)
| 18,842 (53.5%)
| 18,488 (53.2%)
| 18,366 (53.6%)
| 17,785 (53.2%)
| 19,136 (53.6%)
| 18,681 (52.9%)
| 17,969 (52.0%)
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
| 5,103 (14.1%)
| 5,154 (14.2%)
| 4,988 (14.0%)
| 4,453 (12.4%)
| 4,301 (12.2%)
| 4,423 (12.7%)
| 4,221 (12.3%)
| 4,056 (12.1%)
| 4,357 (12.2%)
| 4,298 (12.2%)
| 4,053 (11.7%)
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
| 2,221 (6.1%)
| 2,280 (6.3%)
| 2,497 (7.0%)
| 2,583 (7.2%)
| 2,475 (7.0%)
| 2,232 (6.4%)
| 2,199 (6.4%)
| 1,992 (6.0%)
| 1,921 (5.4%)
| 1,878 (5.3%)
| 1,850 (5.3%)
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]
| 307 (0.9%)
| 308 (0.8%)
| 97 (0.3%)
| 26 (0.1%)
| 28 (0.1%)
| 38 (0.1%)
| 24 (0.1%)
| 35 (0.1%)
| 33 (0.1%)
| 30 (0.1%)
| 34 (0.1%)
|-
| ''[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]'' (any race)
| ''8,208'' (22.7%)
| ''8,129'' (22.4%)
| ''8,275'' (23.1%)
| ''8,622'' (23.9%)
| ''8,833'' (25.1%)
| ''8,762'' (25.2%)
| ''8,728'' (25.5%)
| ''8,861'' (26.5%)
| ''9,482'' (26.6%)
| ''9,597'' (27.2%)
| ''9,803'' (28.3%)
|-
| '''Total'''
| '''36,085''' (100%)
| '''36,285''' (100%)
| '''35,746''' (100%)
| '''36,015''' (100%)
| '''35,221''' (100%)
| '''34,725''' (100%)
| '''34,258''' (100%)
| '''33,460''' (100%)
| '''35,670''' (100%)
| '''35,332''' (100%)
| '''34,559''' (100%)
|}{{bar box
|title = Religion in Connecticut (2014)<ref name="pew2014"/>
|titlebar=#ddd |left1=Religion |right1=Percent |float=right
|bars =
{{bar percent|[[Protestant]]|purple|35}}
{{bar percent|[[Catholic]]|dodgerblue|33}}
{{bar percent|[[Irreligion|None]]|black|28}}
{{bar percent|[[Jewish]]|blue|3}}
{{bar percent|[[Mormon]]|pink|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Eastern Orthodox]]|yellow|1}}
{{bar percent|Other [[Christians|Christian]]|darkgreen|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Buddhist]]|green|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Hindu]]|red|1}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam]]|black|1}}
{{bar percent|Other|grey|2}}
{{bar percent|Do not know|Orange|1}}
}}
* Since 2016, data for births of [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans|White Hispanic]] origin are not collected, but included in one ''Hispanic'' group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

===Religion===
A 2014 Pew survey of Connecticut residents' religious self-identification showed the following distribution of affiliations<ref name="pew2014">{{Cite report|url=https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/connecticut/|title=Adults in Connecticut—Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics|publisher=Pew Research Center|date=|access-date=September 17, 2020|archive-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217131636/https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/connecticut/|url-status=live}}</ref> Protestant 35%, [[Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholic]] 33%, [[non-religious]] 28%, Jewish 3%, [[Mormonism]] 1%, Orthodox 1%, [[Jehovah's Witnesses|Jehovah's Witness]] 1%, [[Hinduism]] 1%, [[Buddhism]] 1% and [[Islam]] 1%.<ref name="pew2014"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |title=Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics—Pew Research Center |date=May 11, 2015 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |access-date=November 18, 2013 |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707085300/http://religions.pewforum.org/maps |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jewish American|Jewish congregations]] had 108,280 (3.2%) members in 2000.<ref name="www.thearda.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/05/rcms2010_05_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives &#124; State Membership Report |website=Thearda.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131202225650/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/05/rcms2010_05_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Jewish population is concentrated in the towns near Long Island Sound between [[Greenwich, Connecticut|Greenwich]] and [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], in [[Greater New Haven]] and in [[Greater Hartford]], especially the suburb of [[West Hartford, Connecticut|West Hartford]]. According to the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]], the largest Christian denominations, by number of adherents, in 2010 were: the [[Catholic Church]], with 1,252,936; the [[United Church of Christ]], with 96,506; and non-denominational Evangelical Protestants, with 72,863.<ref name="www.thearda.com" />

Recent immigration has brought other non-Christian religions to the state, but the numbers of adherents of other religions are still low. Connecticut is also home to New England's largest Protestant church: [[The First Cathedral]] in [[Bloomfield, Connecticut]]. Hartford is seat to the Roman Catholic [[Archdiocese of Hartford]], which is sovereign over the [[Diocese of Bridgeport]] and the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich|Diocese of Norwich]].

By a 2020 [[Public Religion Research Institute]] survey, 71% of the population identified as some form of Christian.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-CT |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-CT |url-status=dead }}</ref> It found the state to be 21% [[non-religious]] and specifically 19% white [[mainline Protestant]], 19% white Catholic, 9% white evangelical Protestant, 7% black Protestant, and 7% Hispanic Catholic. In contrast to the 2014 Pew survey,{{efn|Which found Protestants to be only 2% more numerous than Catholics in Connecticut}} the 2020 PRRI survey found Connecticut to be 40% Protestant and 28% Catholic (with the remainder of Christians being Mormon at 2%, and Orthodox at 1%). The PRRI survey found Jewish citizens to be 2% of the population and, like the Pew survey: Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims to be 1% each.

== Economy ==
{{See also|Economy of Connecticut|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
[[File:Connecticut Welcomes You Sign.jpg|thumb|A welcome sign on I-91 in [[Enfield, Connecticut|Enfield]].]]

The total 2024 [[gross state product]] for Connecticut was $365.7&nbsp;billion, up from $345.9&nbsp;billion in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gross Domestic Product by State and Personal Income by State, 1st Quarter 2025 {{!}} U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) |url=https://www.bea.gov/news/2025/gross-domestic-product-state-and-personal-income-state-1st-quarter-2025 |access-date=August 21, 2025 |website=www.bea.gov}}</ref>

Connecticut's [[List of U.S. states by adjusted per capita personal income|adjusted per capita personal income]] in 2022 was estimated at $77,940, third-highest among states.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70 |title = Regional Data |website = bea.org |access-date = February 13, 2024}}</ref> There is a large disparity in incomes throughout the state; Connecticut was tied with California and Massachusetts for the second highest (after New York's 0.52) [[Gini coefficient]], at 0.50, as of 2020.<ref>Conor Gowder. "[https://ssti.org/blog/useful-stats-income-inequality-across-states Useful Stats: Income inequality across the states]". State Science & Technology Institute, January 24, 2024. Accessed November 23, 2024.</ref> As of 2025, it remained tied for second with Louisiana, with only New York having higher levels of inequality. Despite its overall inequality, Connecticut has a relatively low poverty rate.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Putterman |first=Alex |last2=Stavish |first2=Victoria |date=May 22, 2025 |title=As wealth and struggle coexist in Connecticut, these 7 numbers explain the inequality problem |url=https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/connecticut-inequality-statistics-poverty-wealth-20246089.php? |website=The New Haven Register}}</ref> According to a 2018 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Connecticut had the third-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 7.75%.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Millionaires Ranking By State & Market Growth |url=https://www.phoenixmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Phoenix-Millionaires-By-State-Ranking-and-Market-Growth-2017.pdf |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426141426/https://www.phoenixmi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Phoenix-Millionaires-By-State-Ranking-and-Market-Growth-2017.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[New Canaan, Connecticut|New Canaan]] is the wealthiest town in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $105,846. [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] is the poorest municipality in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $16,798 in 2020.<ref name=20Cen>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Connecticut|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CT/INC110219|access-date=October 20, 2021|website=www.census.gov|language=en}}</ref> [[List of Connecticut locations by per capita income#Counties|At the county level]], per capita income ranged from $48,295 in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] to $26,585 in [[Windham County, Connecticut|Windham County]], which is close to the United States average.<ref name=20Cen />

As of December 2019, Connecticut's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8%, with U.S. unemployment at 3.5% that month. Dating back to 1982, Connecticut recorded its lowest unemployment in 2000 between August and October, at 2.2%. The highest unemployment rate during that period occurred in November and December 2010 at 9.3%,<ref>{{cite web|title=State of Connecticut vs. United States Unemployment Rate—State of Connecticut|url=https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/unemprateCTUS.asp|publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor|access-date=April 18, 2020|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522214618/https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/unemprateCTUS.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> but economists expected record new levels of layoffs as a result of business closures in the spring of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. Jobless Claims Top 20 Million Since Start of Shutdowns |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-unemployment-claims-likely-continued-at-record-levels-11587029401 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418013555/https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-unemployment-claims-likely-continued-at-record-levels-11587029401 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Taxation===

Tax is collected by the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://portal.ct.gov/drs|title=Connecticut Department of Revenue Services|website=Ct.gov|access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212162348/https://portal.ct.gov/drs|url-status=live}}</ref> and by local municipalities.<ref name="State of Connecticut">{{cite web |title=Statutes Governing Property Assessment and Taxation |website=Office of Policy and Management |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/IGPP-MAIN/Services/Statutes-Governing-Property-Assessment-and-Taxation#CT%20Property%20Tax%20Frame |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220094027/https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/IGPP-MAIN/Services/Statutes-Governing-Property-Assessment-and-Taxation#CT%20Property%20Tax%20Frame |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of 2012, Connecticut residents had the second highest rate in the nation of combined state and local taxes after New York, at 12.6% of income compared to the national average of 9.9% as reported by the [[Tax Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-local-tax-burden-rankings/ |title=State-Local Tax Burden Rankings FY 2012 |website=The Tax Foundation |access-date=January 20, 2016 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202040355/https://taxfoundation.org/publications/state-local-tax-burden-rankings/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Before 1991, Connecticut had an investment-only [[income tax]] system. Income from employment was untaxed, but income from investments was taxed at 13%, the highest rate in the U.S., with no deductions allowed for costs of producing the investment income, such as interest on borrowing.

In 1991, under Governor [[Lowell P. Weicker Jr.]], an independent, the system was changed to one in which the taxes on employment income and investment income were equalized at a maximum rate of 4%. The new tax policy drew investment firms to Connecticut; {{as of|2019|lc=y}}, [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] was home to the headquarters for 16 of the 200 largest [[hedge fund]]s in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hfalert.com/documents/FG/hsp/hfa-rankings/597312_Top200Managers.pdf |title=Top 200 Hedge Fund Managers |website=Hedge Fund Alert |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728195228/https://www.hfalert.com/documents/FG/hsp/hfa-rankings/597312_Top200Managers.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{as of|2019}}, the income tax rates on Connecticut individuals were divided into seven tax brackets of 3% (on income up to $10,000); 5% ($10,000–$50,000); 5.5% ($50,000–$100,000); 6% ($100,000–$200,000); 6.5% ($200,000–$250,000); 6.9% ($250,000–$500,000); and 6.99% above $500,000, with additional amounts owed depending on the bracket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tax-brackets.org/connecticuttaxtable |title=Connecticut Income Tax Brackets |website=Tax-Brackets.org |date=2019 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702030756/https://www.tax-brackets.org/connecticuttaxtable |url-status=live }}</ref>

All wages of Connecticut residents are subject to the state's income tax, even if earned outside the state. However, in those cases, Connecticut income tax must be withheld only to the extent the Connecticut tax exceeds the amount withheld by the other jurisdiction.<ref name="Resident Working in Another State">{{cite web |title=Resident Working in Another State |website=Department of Revenue Services |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Individuals/Individual-Tax-Page/Resident-Working-in-Another-State |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154200/https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Individuals/Individual-Tax-Page/Resident-Working-in-Another-State |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since New York has higher income tax rates than Connecticut,<ref>{{cite web |title=State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets for 2020 |date=February 4, 2020 |publisher=Tax Foundation |url=https://taxfoundation.org/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets-for-2020/ |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418100643/https://taxfoundation.org/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets-for-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref> this effectively means that Connecticut residents who work in New York have no Connecticut income tax withheld. Connecticut permits a credit for taxes paid to other jurisdictions, but since residents who work in other states are still subject to Connecticut income taxation, they may owe taxes if the jurisdictional credit does not fully offset the Connecticut tax amount.<ref name="Resident Working in Another State"/>

Connecticut levies a 6.35% state [[sales tax]] on the retail sale, lease, or rental of most goods.<ref name="2011Sect6Summary">{{cite web |title=Summary of Tax Provisions Contained in 2011 Conn. Pub. Acts 6 |website=Department of Revenue Services |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=https://portal.ct.gov/drs/publications/special-notices/2011/sn-2011-6 |date=June 10, 2011 |access-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052842/http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?A=1514&Q=480936 |url-status=live }}</ref> Some items and services in general are not subject to sales and use taxes unless specifically enumerated as taxable by [[statute]]. A provision excluding clothing under $50 from sales tax was repealed {{as of|2011|July|1|lc=y|df=US}}.<ref name =2011Sect6Summary /> There are no additional sales taxes imposed by local jurisdictions. In 2001, Connecticut instituted what became an annual sales tax "holiday" each August lasting one week, when retailers do not have to remit sales tax on certain items and quantities of clothing that has varied from year to year.<ref>{{cite web |title=2019 Sales Tax Free Week |website=Department of Revenue Services |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=https://portal.ct.gov/drs/sales-tax/sales-tax-free-week |date=August 14, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526234715/https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Sales-Tax/Sales-Tax-Free-Week |url-status=live }}</ref>

State law authorizes municipalities to tax property, including real estate, vehicles and other personal property, with state statute providing varying exemptions, credits and abatements. All assessments are at 70% of [[fair market value]].<ref name="State of Connecticut"/> The maximum property tax credit is $200 per return<ref>{{cite web |title=What's New? Property Tax Credit Limitation |website=Department of Revenue Services |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Individuals/Individual-Tax-Page/Whats-New |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812154206/https://portal.ct.gov/DRS/Individuals/Individual-Tax-Page/Whats-New |url-status=dead }}</ref> and any excess may not be refunded or carried forward.<ref name="inctax">{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/drs/lib/drs/forms/2014forms/incometax/ct-1040_booklet.pdf |title=2014 CT-1040 Connecticut Resident Income Tax Return and Instructions |website=Department of Revenue Services |publisher=State of Connecticut |page=31 |access-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-date=December 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229142708/http://www.ct.gov/drs/lib/drs/forms/2014forms/incometax/ct-1040_booklet.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the Tax Foundation, on a per capita basis in the 2017 fiscal year Connecticut residents paid the 3rd highest average property taxes in the nation after [[New Hampshire]] and New Jersey.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Much Does Your State Collect in Property Taxes per Capita? |publisher=Tax Foundation |url=https://taxfoundation.org/state-property-taxes-per-capita-2020/ |date=March 11, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524053232/https://taxfoundation.org/state-property-taxes-per-capita-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{as of|2020|1|1|df=US}}, gasoline taxes and fees in Connecticut were 40.13 cents per gallon, 11th highest in the United States which had a nationwide average of 36.13 cents a gallon excluding federal taxes. Diesel taxes and fees as of January 2020 in Connecticut were 46.50 cents per gallon, ninth highest nationally with the U.S. average at 37.91 cents.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=American Petroleum Institute |url=https://www.api.org/~/media/Files/Statistics/State-Motor-Fuel-Notes-Summary-January-2020.pdf |title=STATE MOTOR FUEL TAXES: NOTES SUMMARY RATES EFFECTIVE 01/01/2020 |date=January 1, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152010/https://www.api.org/ErrorPages/404.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Real estate===

In 2019, sales of single-family homes in Connecticut totaled 33,146 units, a 2.1 percent decline from the 2018 transaction total. The median home sold in 2019 recorded a transaction amount of $260,000, up 0.4 percent from 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thewarrengroup.com/2020/01/29/ct-median-single-family-home-price-reaches-11-year-high-in-2019/ |title=CT Median Single-Family Home Price Reaches 11-Year High in 2019 |publisher=The Warren Group |location=Boston |date=January 29, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920201605/https://www.thewarrengroup.com/2020/01/29/ct-median-single-family-home-price-reaches-11-year-high-in-2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Connecticut had the seventh highest rate of home foreclosure activity in the country in 2019 at 0.53 percent of the total housing stock.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-foreclosure-activity-drops-to-15-year-low-in-2019-300988004.html |title=U.S. Foreclosure Activity Drops To 15-year Low In 2019 |publisher=ATTOM Data Solutions |location=Irvine, California |date=January 16, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329124442/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-foreclosure-activity-drops-to-15-year-low-in-2019-300988004.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Industries===

{{See also|List of Connecticut companies}}

Finance, insurance and real estate was Connecticut's largest industry in 2018 as ranked by gross domestic product, generating $75.7 billion in GDP that year.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/digest/articles/January2020CTDigest.asp |title=2020 Economic Outlook: Slowing Growth Globally, Technology Changes Abound |website=Connecticut Economic Digest |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor and Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development |date=January 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126110641/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/digest/articles/January2020CTDigest.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> Major employers include [[The Hartford]], [[The Travelers Companies|Travelers]], [[Harman International]], [[Cigna]], the [[Aetna]] subsidiary of CVS Health, [[Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company|Mass Mutual]], [[People's United Bank|People's United Financial]], [[Bank of America]], [[Realogy]],<ref name="employers">{{cite web |url=http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchTopList.asp?intSort=6 |title=Search Results for the 100 largest employers in Connecticut |website=Labor Market Information |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor |date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=May 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518181449/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchTopList.asp?intSort=6 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Bridgewater Associates]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/204391481/bridgewater-associates-is-the-world-s-largest-hedge-fund-firm-for-fourth-straight-year-says-institutional-investor-s-alpha |title=Bridgewater Associates is the world's largest hedge fund firm for the fourth straight year says Institutional Investor's Alpha |work=EIN News |date=May 16, 2014 |access-date=May 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517114711/http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/204391481/bridgewater-associates-is-the-world-s-largest-hedge-fund-firm-for-fourth-straight-year-says-institutional-investor-s-alpha |archive-date=May 17, 2014 }}</ref> [[GE Capital]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehour.com/business/article/GE-Capital-forecasts-two-more-years-to-13688130.php |title=General Electric: 2019 a 'reset' year |work=Hearst Connecticut Media |date=March 14, 2019 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728190125/https://www.thehour.com/business/article/GE-Capital-forecasts-two-more-years-to-13688130.php |url-status=live }}</ref> William Raveis Real Estate,<ref name="Connecticut Department of Labor">{{cite web|url=http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchMain_keywordList.asp |title=Employer List—Search Results: Raveis |website=Labor Market Information |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor |date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905172918/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/EmpSearchMain_keywordList.asp |archive-date=September 5, 2009 }}</ref> and [[Berkshire Hathaway]] through reinsurance and residential real estate subsidiaries.

The combined educational, health and social services sector was the largest single industry as ranked by employment, with a combined workforce of 342,600 people at the end of 2019,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/SecEmp.asp |title=Industry Sectors Employment (CES)—State of Connecticut |website=Labor Market Information |publisher=Connecticut Department of Labor |date=April 16, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425190021/http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/secEmp.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> ranking fourth the year before in GDP at $28.3 billion.

The broad business and professional services sector had the second highest GDP total in Connecticut in 2018 at an estimated $33.7 billion.<ref name="auto1"/>

Manufacturing was the third biggest industry in 2018 with GDP of $30.8 billion,<ref name="auto1"/> dominated by [[Raytheon Technologies]] formed in the March 2020 merger of Hartford-based [[United Technologies]] and Waltham, Mass.-based Raytheon Co. As of the merger, Raytheon Technologies employed about 19,000 people in Connecticut through subsidiaries [[Pratt & Whitney]] and [[Collins Aerospace]].<ref>{{cite news |first1=Steven |last1=Singer |url=https://www.courant.com/business/hc-biz-utc-no-more-20200330-2olq723grvaslouj5nytqrzuoi-story.htmle |title=UTC no more: Merger with Raytheon set for Friday, ending 45-year-old conglomerate headquartered in Connecticut |work=Hartford Courant |date=March 30, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 }} {{Dead link|date=April 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Lockheed Martin]] subsidiary [[Sikorsky Aircraft]] operates Connecticut's single largest manufacturing plant in [[Stratford, Connecticut|Stratford]],<ref name="Connecticut Department of Labor"/> where it makes helicopters.

Major audio equipment manufacturing company [[Harman International]] is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.<ref>{{Cite news |orig-date=2025-11-15 |title=Samsung to Acquire Harman for US$8Bil Cash |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/11/15/samsung-to-acquire-harman-for-us8bil-cash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250429025530/https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2016/11/15/samsung-to-acquire-harman-for-us8bil-cash |archive-date=April 29, 2025 |access-date=April 28, 2025 |work=Starbiz |pages=9 |publication-place=Seoul |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> It owns many brands like [[JBL]], [[AKG (company)|Akg]] and [[Harman kardon]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fortune.com/fortune500/2017/harman-international-industries/ | title=Harman International Industries | access-date=August 11, 2022 | archive-date=August 11, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811171342/https://fortune.com/fortune500/2017/harman-international-industries/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Other major manufacturers include the [[Electric Boat]] division of [[General Dynamics]], which makes submarines in [[Groton, Connecticut|Groton]].<ref name="boat" />

Connecticut historically was a center of gun manufacturing, and four gun-manufacturing firms continued to operate in the state {{as of|2012|December|lc=y}}, employing 2,000 people: [[Colt's Manufacturing Company|Colt]], [[Stag Arms|Stag]], [[Sturm, Ruger & Co.|Ruger]], and [[O.F. Mossberg & Sons|Mossberg]].<ref name="NYT122312">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/nyregion/gun-makers-based-in-connecticut-form-a-potent-lobby.html | title=Gun Makers Use Home Leverage in Connecticut | work=The New York Times | date=December 23, 2012 | access-date=December 24, 2012 | first1=Ray | last1=Rivera | last2=Cowan | first2=Alison Leigh | archive-date=December 24, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121224221801/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/24/nyregion/gun-makers-based-in-connecticut-form-a-potent-lobby.html | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Marlin Firearms|Marlin]], owned by [[Remington Arms|Remington]], closed in April 2011.<ref name="Courant010111">{{cite news | url=https://www.courant.com/2011/04/01/marlin-firearms-closes-in-north-haven-ending-141-years-of-manufacturing-in-connecticut/ | title=Marlin Firearms Closes in North Haven, Ending 141 Years of Manufacturing in Connecticut | work=Hartford Courant | date=April 1, 2011 | last=Sturdevant | first=Matthew | access-date=December 24, 2012 | archive-date=January 2, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102175444/http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-01/business/hc-marlin-firearms-20110401_1_john-m-marlin-frank-kenna-remington-arms | url-status=live }}</ref>

Other large components of the Connecticut economy in 2018 included wholesale trade ($18.1 billion in GDP); information services ($13.8 billion); retail ($13.7 billion); arts, entertainment and food services ($9.1 billion); and construction ($8.3 billion).<ref name="auto1"/>

Tourists spent $9.3 billion in Connecticut in 2017 according to estimates as part of a series of studies commissioned by the state of Connecticut.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/decd/tourism/econimpactstudies/ct_tourism_econimpact_cy2017.pdf?la=en |title=Economic Impact of Tourism in Connecticut, 2017 |website=Department of Economic and Community Development |publisher=State of Connecticut |date=May 2019 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817133609/https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DECD/Tourism/EconImpactStudies/CT_Tourism_EconImpact_CY2017.pdf?la=en |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Foxwoods Resort Casino]] and [[Mohegan Sun]] are the two biggest tourist draws and number among the state's largest employers;<ref name="employers" /> both are located on Native American reservations in the southeastern Connecticut.

{{ Main | Agriculture in Connecticut }}
Connecticut's agricultural production totaled $580 million in 2017, with just over half of that revenue the result of [[Nursery (horticulture)|nursery stock]] production. Milk production totaled $81 million that year, with other major product categories including [[egg (food)|eggs]], [[vegetables]] and [[fruit]], [[Connecticut shade tobacco|tobacco]] and [[shellfish]].<ref>{{cite report |title=2017 Census of Agriculture State Profile: Connecticut |url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Connecticut/cp99009.pdf |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |access-date=April 18, 2020 |date= |archive-date=July 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728210752/https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Connecticut/cp99009.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Energy===
{{See also|List of power stations in Connecticut}}
Connecticut's economy uses less energy to produce each dollar of GDP than all other states except California, Massachusetts, and New York. It uses less energy on a per-capita basis than all but six other states. It has no fossil-fuel resources, but does have renewable resources. Average retail electricity prices are the highest among the 48 contiguous states. While most of the state's energy consumption is generated using fossil fuels, [[nuclear power]] delivered over 40% of state's electricity generation in 2019. [[Refuse-derived fuel]]s and other [[biomass]] provided the largest share of renewable electricity at about a 3% share. Solar and wind generation have grown in recent years. More than three-quarters of solar generation came from distributed small-scale installations such as rooftop solar in 2019, and there is planning underway to significantly increase renewable generation with the state's offshore wind resource.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=CT |title=Connecticut State Profile and Energy Estimates – Profile Analysis |publisher=[[U.S. Energy Information Administration]] |access-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321152628/https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=CT |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transport==

{{Main|Transportation in Connecticut}}

===Roads===

{{Main list|List of State Routes in Connecticut}}
[[File:Q Bridge in New Haven Illuminated Red, White, and Blue (27460771747).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (Connecticut)|Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge]], locally known as the '''Q{{nbsp}}Bridge''', carries ten lanes over the [[Quinnipiac River]] in [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], along the [[Connecticut Turnpike]].]]

The [[Interstate highway]]s in the state are [[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]] (I-95) traveling southwest to northeast along the coast, [[Interstate 84 in Connecticut|I-84]] traveling southwest to northeast in the center of the state, [[Interstate 91 in Connecticut|I-91]] traveling north to south in the center of the state, and [[Interstate 395 in Connecticut|I-395]] traveling north to south near the eastern border of the state. The other major highways in Connecticut are the [[Merritt Parkway]] and [[Wilbur Cross Parkway]], which together form [[Connecticut Route 15]] (Route 15), traveling from the [[Hutchinson River Parkway]] in [[New York City|New York]] parallel to I-95 before turning north of [[New Haven]] and traveling parallel to I-91, finally becoming a surface road in [[Berlin, Connecticut|Berlin]]. I-95 and Route 15 were originally [[toll road]]s; they relied on a system of [[toll plaza]]s at which all traffic stopped and paid fixed tolls. A series of major crashes at these plazas eventually contributed to the decision to remove the tolls in 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/ct-turnpike/ |title=Connecticut Turnpike (I-95) |website=NYC Roads |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=December 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204075835/http://www.nycroads.com/roads/ct-turnpike/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other major arteries in the state include [[U.S. Route 7 in Connecticut|U.S. Route{{nbsp}}7]] (US{{nbsp}}7) in the west traveling parallel to the New York state line, [[Connecticut Route 8|Route{{nbsp}}8]] farther east near the industrial city of Waterbury and traveling north–south along the Naugatuck River Valley nearly parallel with US{{nbsp}}7, and [[Connecticut Route 9|Route{{nbsp}}9]] in the east.

Between New Haven and New York City, I-95 is one of the most congested highways in the United States. Although I-95 has been widened in several spots, some areas are only three lanes and this strains traffic capacity, resulting in frequent and lengthy [[rush hour]] delays. Frequently, the congestion spills over to clog the parallel Merritt Parkway and even US{{nbsp}}1. The state has encouraged traffic reduction schemes, including rail use and [[carpool|ride-sharing]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ctrides.com/ways-to-commute/carpool |title=Ways to Commute |website=CT rides |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-date=August 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818092917/http://ctrides.com/ways-to-commute/carpool |url-status=live }}</ref>

Connecticut also has a very active bicycling community, with one of the highest rates of bicycle ownership and use in the United States, particularly in New Haven. According to the U.S. Census 2006 American Community Survey, New Haven has the highest percentage of commuters who bicycle to work of any major metropolitan center on the East Coast.<ref>{{cite web |title=More Bicycling, Walking to Work; New Haven Leads the Way in Connecticut |url=http://ctbythenumbers.info/2014/05/22/more-bicycling-walking-to-work-new-haven-leads-the-way-in-connecticut/ |website=Connecticut by the Numbers |access-date=February 4, 2019 |date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190204122337/http://ctbythenumbers.info/2014/05/22/more-bicycling-walking-to-work-new-haven-leads-the-way-in-connecticut/ |archive-date=February 4, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Rail===

[[File:Metro-North train 1567 enters Stamford.jpg|thumb|A Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line train leaving [[Stamford Transportation Center|Stamford Station]]]]

Rail is a popular travel mode between New Haven and New York City's [[Grand Central Terminal]]. Southwestern Connecticut is served by the [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[New Haven Line]], operated by the [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]]. Metro-North provides commuter service between New York City and New Haven, with branches to [[New Canaan Branch|New Canaan]], [[Danbury Branch|Danbury]], and [[Waterbury Branch|Waterbury]]. Connecticut lies along [[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]], which features frequent [[Northeast Regional]] and [[Acela Express]] service from New Haven south to New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Norfolk, VA, as well as north to [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]] and Boston. Since 1990, coastal cities and towns between New Haven and New London are also served by the [[Shore Line East]] commuter line.<ref>{{Cite web|title=FAQs|url=https://shorelineeast.com/rider-resources/faqs|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=shorelineeast.com}}</ref>

In June 2018, a commuter rail service called the [[Hartford Line]] began operating between New Haven and Springfield on Amtrak's [[New Haven-Springfield Line]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/Hartford-Line-debuts-with-10K-passengers-in-week-1-13027819.php|title=Hartford Line debuts with 10K passengers in first week|date=June 26, 2018|website=Connecticut Post|access-date=September 19, 2018|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728204857/https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/Hartford-Line-debuts-with-10K-passengers-in-week-1-13027819.php|url-status=live |last1=Soule |first1=By Alexander }}</ref> Hartford Line service is provided by both Amtrak and the Connecticut Department of Transportation's [[CT Rail]], and in addition to its termini serves [[New Haven State Street station|New Haven State Street]], Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, [[Hartford Union Station|Hartford]], Windsor, and Windsor Locks. Several infill stations are planned to be added in the near future as of 2021. Amtrak's [[Vermonter (train)|Vermonter]] runs from Washington to St. Albans, Vermont via the same line. In July 2019, Amtrak launched the ''[[Valley Flyer]]'', which runs between New Haven and [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Corselli|first=Andrew|date=August 28, 2019|title=Amtrak, MassDOT To Launch Valley Flyer Service|url=https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/amtrak-massdot-to-launch-valley-flyer-service/|url-status=live|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=Railway Age|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828200508/https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/amtrak-massdot-to-launch-valley-flyer-service/ |archive-date=August 28, 2019 }}</ref>

A proposed commuter rail service, the [[Central Corridor Rail Line]], would connect New London with [[Norwich, CT|Norwich]], [[Willimantic, CT|Willimantic]], [[Storrs, CT|Storrs]] via the main campus of the [[University of Connecticut]], and [[Stafford Springs, CT|Stafford Springs]], with service continuing into [[Massachusetts]] and [[Brattleboro, Vermont]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bessette|first=Claire|date=October 4, 2012|title=All aboard for the Central Corridor line|url=https://www.theday.com/article/20121004/NWS01/121009823|url-status=live|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=The Day|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727201742/http://www.theday.com/article/20121004/NWS01/121009823 |archive-date=July 27, 2014 }}</ref> The proposal also adds stops to service popular tourist destinations [[Foxwoods Resort Casino]] and [[Mohegan Sun]].

===Bus===

Statewide [[bus]] service is supplied by [[Connecticut Transit]], owned by the [[Connecticut Department of Transportation]], with smaller municipal authorities providing local service. Bus networks are an important part of the transportation system in Connecticut, especially in urban areas like Hartford, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and New Haven. Connecticut Transit also operates [[CTfastrak]], a [[bus rapid transit]] service between [[New Britain, Connecticut|New Britain]] and [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], which opened to the public on March 28, 2015.<ref name=march28>{{cite press release |url=http://ctfastrak.com/about/news/news-releases/13-media-releases/279-03-28-15-despite-snow-thousands-of-riders-many-first-timers-experience-ctfastrak-on-first-day-of-service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911222239/http://ctfastrak.com/about/news/news-releases/13-media-releases/279-03-28-15-despite-snow-thousands-of-riders-many-first-timers-experience-ctfastrak-on-first-day-of-service |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |title=Despite Snow, Thousands of Riders, Many First-Timers, Experience CTfastrak on First Day of Service |publisher=Connecticut Department of Transportation |date=March 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name=CTfastrak>{{cite web|title=What Is CTfastrak|url=http://www.ctfastrak.com/about/what-is-ctfastrak|publisher=State of Connecticut|access-date=October 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014173042/http://www.ctfastrak.com/about/what-is-ctfastrak|archive-date=October 14, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=LaPorte|first=Mike|title=The Busway to the Future: Insider to CTfastrak before Opening to Public|url=http://livewiremcc.org/2014/11/05/the-busway-to-the-future-insider-to-ctfastrak-before-opening-to-public/|access-date=December 11, 2014|work=The Live Wire|publisher=Manchester Community College|date=November 5, 2014|archive-date=December 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211050837/http://livewiremcc.org/2014/11/05/the-busway-to-the-future-insider-to-ctfastrak-before-opening-to-public/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Air===

[[File:Florida 148.jpg|thumb|left|[[Bradley International Airport]], the state's largest]]

Connecticut's largest airport is [[Bradley International Airport]] in [[Windsor Locks]], {{convert|15|mile|km}} north of [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]].{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} Many residents of central and southern Connecticut also make heavy use of [[JFK International Airport]] and [[Newark International Airport]]s, especially for international travel. Smaller regional air service is provided at [[Tweed New Haven Regional Airport]]. Larger civil airports include [[Danbury Municipal Airport]] and [[Waterbury-Oxford Airport]] in western Connecticut, [[Hartford–Brainard Airport]] in central Connecticut, and [[Groton-New London Airport]] in eastern Connecticut. [[Sikorsky Memorial Airport]] is located in Stratford and mostly services cargo, helicopter and private aviation.

===Ferry===

Several ferry services cross Long Island Sound and connect the state to [[Long Island]]. The [[Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry]] travels between [[Bridgeport, Connecticut]], and [[Port Jefferson, New York]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Ct.Gov: Ferries|url=https://portal.ct.gov/services/driving-and-transportation/getting-around/ferries|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=CT.gov – Connecticut's Official State Website|language=en}}</ref> Ferry service also operates out of [[New London, Connecticut|New London]] to [[Orient, New York]]; [[Fishers Island, New York]]; and [[Block Island, Rhode Island]], which are popular tourist destinations.<ref name=":1" /> Two ferries cross the Connecticut River: the [[Rocky Hill–Glastonbury ferry]] and the [[Chester–Hadlyme Ferry|Chester–Hadlyme ferry]], the former of which is the oldest continuously operating ferry in the United States, operating since 1655.<ref name=":1" />

==Law and government==

{{Main|Law of Connecticut|Administrative divisions of Connecticut}}
{{ct law}}
[[File:State of Connecticut logo.svg|thumb|Logo for the State of Connecticut.]]
[[File:Connecticut State Capitol, February 24, 2008.jpg|right|upright=1.15|thumb|The [[Connecticut State Capitol]] in downtown Hartford]]

[[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] has been the sole capital of Connecticut since 1875. Before then, [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and Hartford alternated as dual capitals.<ref name="AboutCT"/>

===Constitutional history===

{{Main|History of the Connecticut Constitution}}

Connecticut is known as the "Constitution State". The origin of this nickname is uncertain, but it likely comes from Connecticut's pivotal role in the federal constitutional convention of 1787, during which [[Roger Sherman]] and [[Oliver Ellsworth]] helped to orchestrate what became known as the [[Connecticut Compromise]], or the Great Compromise. This plan combined the [[Virginia Plan]] and the [[New Jersey Plan]] to form a bicameral legislature, a form copied by almost every state constitution since the adoption of the federal constitution. Variations of the bicameral legislature had been proposed by Virginia and New Jersey, but Connecticut's plan was the one that was in effect until the early 20th century, when Senators ceased to be selected by their state legislatures and were instead directly elected. Otherwise, it is still the design of Congress.

The nickname also might refer to the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut|Fundamental Orders]] of 1638–39. These Fundamental Orders represent the framework for the first formal Connecticut state government written by a representative body in Connecticut. The State of Connecticut government has operated under the direction of four separate documents in the course of the state's [[History of the Connecticut Constitution|constitutional history]]. After the Fundamental Orders, Connecticut was granted governmental authority by King [[Charles II of England]] through the Connecticut Charter of 1662.

Separate branches of government did not exist during this period, and the General Assembly acted as the supreme authority. A constitution similar to the modern [[U.S. Constitution]] was not adopted in Connecticut until 1818. Finally, the current state constitution was implemented in 1965. The 1965 constitution absorbed a majority of its 1818 predecessor, but incorporated a handful of important modifications.

===Executive===

The governor heads the executive branch. {{As of|2020}}, [[Ned Lamont]] is the [[List of Governors of Connecticut|Governor]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Governor/About/Governor_Malloy_s_Biography/ | title=Governor Malloy's Biography | publisher=State of Connecticut | website=Portal.CT.gov | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=September 14, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914080022/http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Governor/About/Governor_Malloy_s_Biography/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Susan Bysiewicz]] is the [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut|Lieutenant Governor]];<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Lieutenant_Governor/About/Lt__Governor_s_Biography/ | title=Lt. Governor's Biography | publisher=State of Connecticut | website=Portal.CT.gov | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=November 26, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126071856/http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Lieutenant_Governor/About/Lt__Governor_s_Biography/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> both are Democrats. From 1639 until the adoption of the 1818 constitution, the governor presided over the General Assembly. In 1974, [[Ella Grasso]] was elected as the governor of Connecticut. This was the first time in United States history when a woman was a governor without her husband being governor first.<ref name=Pumont/>

There are several executive departments: Administrative Services, Agriculture, Banking, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Correction, Economic and Community Development, [[Connecticut Department of Developmental Services|Developmental Services]], Construction Services, Education, Emergency Management and Public Protection, Energy & Environmental Protection, Higher Education, Insurance, Labor, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Military, Motor Vehicles, Public Health, Public Utility Regulatory Authority, Public Works, Revenue Services, Social Services, [[Connecticut Department of Transportation|Transportation]], and Veterans Affairs. In addition to these departments, there are other independent bureaus, offices and commissions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/Department-and-Agencies/ |title=Departments and Agencies |website=Portal.CT.gov |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007042027/http://portal.ct.gov/Department-and-Agencies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to the governor and lieutenant governor, there are four other executive officers named in the state constitution that are elected directly by voters: secretary of the state, treasurer, comptroller, and attorney general. All executive officers are elected to four-year terms.<ref name="AboutCT"/>

===Legislative===

Connecticut's legislative branch is known as the [[Connecticut General Assembly|General Assembly]]. It is a [[bicameral]] legislature consisting of an upper body, the [[Connecticut Senate|State Senate]] (36 senators); and a lower body, the [[Connecticut House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (151 representatives).<ref name="AboutCT"/> Bills must pass each house in order to become law. The governor can veto bills, but this veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both houses. Per Article XV of the state constitution, Senators and Representatives must be at least 18 years of age and are elected to two-year terms in November on even-numbered years. There also must always be between 30 and 50 senators and 125 to 225 representatives. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate, except when absent from the chamber, when the [[Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate|President pro tempore]] presides. The [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker of the House]] presides over the House.<ref name="CT_CONST">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the State of Connecticut |website=Secretary of the State |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?A=3188&Q=392288 |date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109004649/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392288 |archive-date=November 9, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{As of|2021}}, [[Matthew Ritter]] is the Speaker of the House of Connecticut.

{{As of|2021}}, Connecticut's [[United States Senators]] are [[Richard Blumenthal]] (Democrat) and [[Chris Murphy]] (Democrat).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/states/CT/intro.htm | title=Connecticut | publisher=U.S. Senate | website=States in the Senate | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=October 15, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015043134/http://www.senate.gov/states/CT/intro.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut has five [[U.S. Congressional Delegations from Connecticut|representatives in the U.S. House]], all of whom are Democrats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ct | title=Connecticut | publisher=U.S. House of Representatives | website=Directory of Representatives | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=October 24, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024082758/http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ct | url-status=live }}</ref>

Locally elected representatives also develop [[local ordinance]]s to govern cities and towns.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/ordinances.htm |title=Connecticut Ordinances and Charters by Town |website=Judicial Branch Law Libraries |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=December 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211113745/http://www.jud.ct.gov/LawLib/ordinances.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The town ordinances often include [[noise pollution#Humans|noise control]] and [[zoning]] guidelines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_Police/Ord%20Folder/Ordinances/262 |title=Newtown Noise Control Ordinance |website=Town of Newtown |date=August 20, 2010 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511122630/http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_Police/Ord%20Folder/Ordinances/262 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref> However, the State of Connecticut also provides statewide ordinances for noise control as well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sec. 22a-69-1 to 22a-69-7.4: Control of Noise |website=Department of Environmental Protection |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/regulations/title_22a/069.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223637/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/regulations/title_22a/069.pdf |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Judicial===

The highest [[court]] of Connecticut's judicial branch is the [[Connecticut Supreme Court]], headed by the Chief Justice of Connecticut. The Supreme Court is responsible for deciding on the constitutionality of laws, or cases as they relate to the law. Its proceedings are similar to those of the United States Supreme Court: no testimony is given by witnesses, and the lawyers of the two sides each present oral arguments no longer than thirty minutes. Following a court proceeding, the court may take several months to arrive at a judgment. {{As of|2020}}, the [[Chief Justice]] is [[Richard A. Robinson]].

In 1818, the court became a separate entity, independent of the legislative and executive branches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jud.state.ct.us/ystday/history.html |title=About Connecticut Courts: History of the Courts |website=Judicial Branch |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=February 20, 2007 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052828/http://www.jud.state.ct.us/ystday/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Connecticut Appellate Court]] is a lesser statewide court, and the Superior Courts are lower courts that resemble county courts of other states.

===Local government===
{{Main|Local government in Connecticut}}
{{See also|List of counties in Connecticut|Councils of governments in Connecticut|List of municipalities in Connecticut|Borough (Connecticut)}}
[[File:Planning Regions of Connecticut.png|thumb|Planning Regions of Connecticut]]

Connecticut does not have [[County (United States)|county]] government, unlike all other states except [[Rhode Island]]. Connecticut county governments were mostly eliminated in 1960, with the exception of [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriffs]] elected in each county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376 |website=State Register and Manual |publisher=State of Connecticut |title=Section VI: Counties |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906001437/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2000, the county sheriff was abolished and replaced with the [[Connecticut State Marshal|state marshal]] system, which has districts that follow the old county territories. The judicial system is divided into judicial districts at the trial-court level which largely follow the old county lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jud.ct.gov/directory/directory/location/Default.htm |title=Judicial District Courts Staff Directory |website=State of Connecticut Judicial Branch |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-date=August 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812060541/http://www.jud.ct.gov/directory/directory/location/Default.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[list of Connecticut counties|eight counties]] are still widely used for purely geographical and statistical purposes, such as [[Weather forecasting|weather reports]] and census reporting, although the latter will cease using the counties in 2024.{{Update inline|date=November 2025}}

The state is divided into nine regional [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|councils of government]] defined by the state Office of Planning and Management, which facilitate regional planning and coordination of services between member towns.<ref name="OPM-2">{{Cite web|url = https://portal.ct.gov/OPM/IGPP/ORG/Planning-Regions/Planning-Regions---Overview|title = Regional Councils of Governments (RCOGs) in Connecticut|date = 2015|access-date = September 15, 2015|website = CT.gov|publisher = Office of Policy and Management|archive-date = September 17, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150917200410/http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?q=383046|url-status = live}}</ref><!--, with the exception of the Town of Stafford in Tolland County.<ref name="OPM">{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2985&q=383124 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212001640/http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2985&q=383124 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 12, 2012 |title=Regional Planning Coordination |website=Office of Policy and Management |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref>--> The Intragovernmental Policy Division of this Office coordinates regional planning with the administrative bodies of these regions. Each region has an administrative body made up chief executive officers of the member towns. The regions are established for the purpose of planning "coordination of regional and state planning activities; redesignation of logical planning regions and promotion of the continuation of regional planning organizations within the state; and provision for technical aid and the administration of financial assistance to regional planning organizations".<ref name="OPM-2"/> By 2015, the State of Connecticut recognized COGs as [[county equivalent]]s, allowing them to apply for funding and grants made available to county governments in other states. In 2019 the state recommended to the [[United States Census Bureau]] that the nine Councils of Governments replace its counties for statistical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Proposed Change to County Equivalents in Connecticut|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ct_county_equiv_change.pdf|website=US Census Bureau}}</ref> This proposal was approved by the Census Bureau in 2022, and will be fully implemented by 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/06-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Census-Bureau-Approves-Proposal-for-Planning-Regions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606223706/https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/06-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Census-Bureau-Approves-Proposal-for-Planning-Regions |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |title=Governor Lamont Announces U.S. Census Bureau Approves Proposal for Connecticut's Planning Regions To Become County Equivalents |publisher=The Office of Governor Ned Lamont |date=June 6, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2023}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=November 2025}}

Connecticut shares with the rest of [[New England]] a governmental institution called the [[New England town]]. The state is divided into 169 towns which serve as the fundamental political jurisdictions.<ref name="AboutCT"/> There are also 21 cities,<ref name="AboutCT"/> most of which simply follow the boundaries of their namesake towns and have a merged city-town government. There are two exceptions: the [[Groton (city), Connecticut|City of Groton]], which is a subsection of the [[Groton (town), Connecticut|Town of Groton]], and the City of [[Winsted, Connecticut|Winsted]] in the Town of [[Winchester, Connecticut|Winchester]]. There are also nine incorporated [[Borough (Connecticut)|boroughs]] which may provide additional services to a section of town.<ref name="AboutCT"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Town Elections, Boroughs in Connecticut with Date of Incorporation |website=Secretary of the State |publisher=State of Connecticut |date=June 19, 2013 |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392430#CITIES_IN_CONNECTICUT_WITH_DATE_OF_INCORPORATION |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908155417/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392430#CITIES_IN_CONNECTICUT_WITH_DATE_OF_INCORPORATION |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Naugatuck]] is a consolidated town and borough.
==Politics==

{{Further |Political party strength in Connecticut|Elections in Connecticut}}For many decades, Connecticut has consistently been a [[blue state]]. As of 2024, both of its U.S. Senators, all five of its U.S. House representatives, as well as its Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State, are members of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. The last Republican presidential candidate to win Connecticut's votes in the Electoral College was [[George H. W. Bush]] in 1988.<ref>{{Cite news|last=DaRosa|first=Andrew|date=November 3, 2020|title=Here's how Connecticut has voted in the past 15 presidential elections|url=https://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/Here-s-how-Connecticut-has-voted-in-the-past-15-212075.php|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=Connecticut Post|language=en-US|archive-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201155005/https://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/Here-s-how-Connecticut-has-voted-in-the-past-15-212075.php|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Connecticut Political Party Registration 1958 - 2012.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Connecticut political party registration 1958–2012, marked with presidential influence]]

===Registered voters===

Connecticut residents who register to vote may declare an affiliation to a political party, may become unaffiliated at will, and may change affiliations subject to certain waiting periods. {{as of|2022}}, around 58% of registered voters are enrolled in a political party. The [[Democratic Party of Connecticut]] is the largest party in the state by voter registration, with 36% of voters, followed by the [[Connecticut Republican Party]] with approximately 21%. An additional 1.6% are registered to [[Third party (politics)|third parties]]. As of 2022, 4 third parties have statewide enrollment privileges (meaning any state resident may register as a member), including the [[Libertarian Party of Connecticut]], the [[Independent Party of Connecticut]], the [[Connecticut Green Party]], and the [[Connecticut Working Families Party]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Minor Parties in Connecticut|url=https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Political-PartiesTown-Committe-Rules/Minor-Parties-in-Connecticut|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=CT.gov – Connecticut's Official State Website|language=en|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429113421/https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Political-PartiesTown-Committe-Rules/Minor-Parties-in-Connecticut|url-status=live}}</ref> Connecticut allows [[electoral fusion]], where the same candidate can run on the ballot of more than one political party; this is often used by the Connecticut Working Families Party to cross-endorse Democratic candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Elizabeth|first=Anna|date=August 24, 2021|title=Carlos Moreno Talks Working Families Party, Danbury and New Britain Races|url=https://ctexaminer.com/2021/08/24/carlos-moreno-talks-working-families-party-danbury-and-new-britain-races/|url-status=live|access-date=October 16, 2021|website=The Connecticut Examiner|language=en-US|archive-date=August 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826223310/https://ctexaminer.com/2021/08/24/carlos-moreno-talks-working-families-party-danbury-and-new-britain-races/}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Party registration as of October 31, 2024 <ref>{{cite web |website=Connecticut Secretary of the State |title=Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2024 |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sots/electionservices/2024/2024-registration-and-enrollment-statistics/2024_november_reg-party_enrollments.pdf?rev=6ea82a0b09e84203a63f918ff7741019&hash=CBA24E0CAAF8D5CB4062E3DE0BE6B6DA }}</ref>

|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage

|-
| {{party color cell|Independent politician}}
| [[Independent voter|Unaffiliated]]
| align=center | 1,066,435
| align=center | 42.1%

|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 900,721
| align=center | 35.6%

|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 524,977
| align=center | 20.7%

|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
|[[List of political parties in the United States|Minor parties]]
| align=center | 39,466
| align=center | 1.6%

|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 2,531,599
! align=center | 100%
|}

===Voting===

In July 2009, the Connecticut legislature overrode a veto by Governor [[M. Jodi Rell]] to pass [[SustiNet]], the first significant public-option health care reform legislation in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Health Reform Alive: Legislature Overrides Rell Veto Of Sustinet Care Plan, Six Other Bills |work=Hartford Courant |date=July 21, 2009 |first=Christopher |last=Keating |url=http://www.aarp.org/states/ct/advocacy/articles/in_historic_vote_legislature_overrides_sustinet_veto.html |access-date=September 18, 2009 |archive-date=August 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815011720/http://www.aarp.org/states/ct/advocacy/articles/in_historic_vote_legislature_overrides_sustinet_veto.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2012, both houses of the Connecticut state legislature passed a bill (20 to 16 and 86 to 62) that abolished [[Capital punishment in the United States|capital punishment]] for all future crimes, while 11 inmates who were waiting on the [[death row]] at the time could still be executed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/connecticut-governor-signs-bill-to-repeal-death-penalty/ |title=Connecticut governor signs bill to repeal death penalty |date=April 25, 2012 |work=FOX News |access-date=April 25, 2012 |archive-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514155148/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/connecticut-governor-signs-bill-to-repeal-death-penalty |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
{{Main|Education in Connecticut}}

{{Further|List of school districts in Connecticut}}[[File:Yale MMI.JPG|thumb|[[Yale University|Yale's]] motto means "light and truth".]]Connecticut ranked third in the nation for [[Education in the United States|educational performance]], according to [[Education Week]]'s Quality Counts 2018 report. It earned an overall score of 83.5 out of 100 points. On average, the country received a score of 75.2.<ref name="Edweek">{{cite journal |title=Connecticut Earns a B on State Report Card, Ranks Third in Nation—Quality Counts |journal=Education Week |date=September 5, 2018 |volume=37 |issue=17 |url=https://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/quality-counts-2018-state-grades/highlight-reports/2018/01/17/connecticut.html |access-date=February 11, 2019 |publisher=Editorial Projects in Education |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220153255/https://www.edweek.org/leadership/connecticut-earns-a-b-on-state-report-card-ranks-third-in-nation/2018/01 |url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut posted a B-plus in the Chance-for-Success category, ranking fourth on factors that contribute to a person's success both within and outside the K-12 education system. Connecticut received a mark of B-plus and finished fourth for School Finance. It ranked 12th with a grade of C on the K-12 Achievement Index.<ref name="Edweek" />

===K–12===

{{See also|Connecticut State Board of Education}}

====Public schools====

[[Hartford Public High School]] (1638) is the third-oldest secondary school in the nation after the [[Collegiate School (New York)|Collegiate School]] (1628) in [[Manhattan]] and the [[Boston Latin School]] (1635). Today, the [[Connecticut State Board of Education]] manages the public school system for children in grades K–12. Board of Education members are [[cronyism|appointed]] by the [[List of Governors of Connecticut|Governor of Connecticut]].

[[File:UConn Main.JPG|thumb|[[University of Connecticut]], the state's main public university]]

====Private schools====
Connecticut has a number of [[Independent school|private schools]]. Private schools may file for approval by the state Department of Education, but are not required to. Per state law, private schools must file yearly attendance reports with the state.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Private Schools|url=https://portal.ct.gov/sde/legal/private-schools|access-date=October 15, 2021|website=CT.gov – Connecticut's Official State Website|language=en|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414105705/https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Legal/Private-Schools|url-status=live}}</ref>

Notable private schools include [[Choate Rosemary Hall]], [[Hotchkiss School|The Hotchkiss School]], [[Loomis Chaffee School]], and [[Taft School]].

===Colleges and universities===
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in Connecticut}}
Connecticut was home to the nation's first law school, [[Litchfield Law School]], which operated from 1773 to 1833 in [[Litchfield, Connecticut|Litchfield]]. Well known universities in the state include [[Yale University]], [[Wesleyan University]], [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity College]], [[Sacred Heart University]], [[Fairfield University]], [[Quinnipiac University]], and the [[University of Connecticut]]. The [[Connecticut State University System]] includes 4 state universities, and the state also has 12 community colleges. The [[United States Coast Guard Academy]] is located in New London.

==Sports==

There are two Connecticut teams in the [[American Hockey League]]. The [[Bridgeport Islanders]] is a farm team for the [[New York Islanders]] which competes at the [[Total Mortgage Arena]] in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]]. The [[Hartford Wolf Pack]] is an affiliate of the [[New York Rangers]]; they play in the [[PeoplesBank Arena]] in Hartford.

The [[Hartford Yard Goats]] of the [[Eastern League (1938–present)|Eastern League]] are a AA affiliate of the [[Colorado Rockies]]. Also, the [[Norwich Sea Unicorns]] play in the [[Futures Collegiate Baseball League]]. The [[New Britain Bees]] play in the [[Atlantic League of Professional Baseball]]. The [[Connecticut Sun]] of the [[WNBA]] currently play at the [[Mohegan Sun Arena]] in [[Uncasville, Connecticut|Uncasville]]. In soccer, [[Hartford Athletic]] began play in the [[USL Championship]] in 2019.

The state hosts several major sporting events. Since 1952, a [[PGA Tour]] golf tournament has been played in the Hartford area. It was originally called the "Insurance City Open" and later the "Greater Hartford Open" and is now known as the [[Travelers Championship]]. 
[[File:LimeRock06 Aston Porsche Audi at Big Bend.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Lime Rock Park|Lime Rock]], a home of the [[American Le Mans Series]]]]

[[Lime Rock Park]] in Salisbury is a {{convert|1.5|mile|km|adj=on}} road racing course, home to the [[International Motor Sports Association]], [[SCCA]], [[United States Auto Club]], and [[K&N Pro Series East]] races. [[Thompson International Speedway]], [[Stafford Motor Speedway]], and [[Waterford Speedbowl]] are oval tracks holding weekly races for NASCAR Modifieds and other classes, including the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The state also hosts several major [[mixed martial arts]] events for [[Bellator MMA]] and the [[Ultimate Fighting Championship]].

===Professional sports teams===

The [[Hartford Whalers]] of the [[National Hockey League]] played in Hartford from 1975 to 1997 at the [[Hartford Civic Center]]. They departed to [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], after disputes with the state over the construction of a new arena, and they are now known as the [[Carolina Hurricanes]]. A baseball team known as the Hartfords (or [[Hartford Dark Blues]]) played in the [[National Association of Professional Base Ball Players|National Association]] from 1874 to 1875, before becoming charter members of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] in 1876. The team moved to [[Brooklyn, New York]], and then disbanded one season later. In 1926, Hartford also had a franchise in the [[National Football League]] known as the [[Hartford Blues]].<ref name="HistoryNYG">{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/nyg/nygiants.html |title=History of the New York Giants |website=Sports Ecyclopedia |access-date=September 12, 2006 |archive-date=July 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709062712/http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/nyg/nygiants.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From 2000 until 2006 the city was home to the [[Hartford FoxForce]] of [[World TeamTennis]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2000–2006 Hartford FoxForce |url=https://funwhileitlasted.net/2014/02/16/2000-2006-hartford-foxforce/ |website=funwhileitlasted.net |access-date=April 27, 2019 |date=February 16, 2014 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220152011/https://funwhileitlasted.net/2014/02/16/2000-2006-hartford-foxforce/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Team
!Sport
!League
|-
|[[Bridgeport Islanders]]
|[[Ice hockey]]
|[[American Hockey League]]
|-
|[[Hartford Wolf Pack]]
|Ice hockey
|American Hockey League
|-
|[[Hartford Yard Goats]]
|Baseball
|[[Eastern League (1938–present)|Eastern League]]
|-
|[[Norwich Sea Unicorns]]
|Baseball
|[[Futures Collegiate Baseball League]]
|-
|[[New Britain Bees]]
|Baseball
|Futures Collegiate Baseball League
|-
|[[Connecticut Sun]]
|Basketball
|[[Women's National Basketball Association]]
|-
|-
|[[Hartford Athletic]]
|Soccer
|[[USL Championship]]
|-
| [[AC Connecticut]]
| Soccer
| [[USL League Two]]
|}

===College sports===

[[File:Yale-Harvard-Game.jpg|upright=1.15|thumb|Yale Bowl during "[[Harvard-Yale football games (The Game)|The Game]]" between Yale and Harvard. The Bowl was also the home of the [[NFL]]'s [[New York Giants]] in 1973–74.]]

The [[Connecticut Huskies]] are the team of the University of Connecticut (UConn); they play [[NCAA Division I]] sports. Both the [[Connecticut Huskies men's basketball|men's basketball]] and [[Connecticut Huskies women's basketball|women's basketball]] teams have won multiple national championships. In 2004, UConn became the first school in NCAA Division{{nbsp}}I history to have its men's and women's basketball programs win the national title in the same year; they repeated the feat in 2014 and are still the only Division{{nbsp}}I school to win both titles in the same year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Veilleux |first=Richard |title=Twin National Championships Are A First in Division I Basketball |url=http://advance.uconn.edu/2004/040412/04041201.htm |access-date=September 10, 2015 |work=UConn Advance |date=April 12, 2004 |archive-date=September 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914001135/http://advance.uconn.edu/2004/040412/04041201.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Nate |title=Connecticut women and men make basketball history (again) |url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/04/connecticut-men-women-basketball-national-championship |access-date=September 10, 2015 |work=USA Today |date=April 8, 2014 |archive-date=September 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914063231/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/04/connecticut-men-women-basketball-national-championship |url-status=live }}</ref> The UConn women's basketball team holds the record for the longest consecutive winning streak in NCAA college basketball at 111 games, a streak that ended in 2017.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/sports/ncaabasketball/uconn-huskies-mississippi-state-bulldogs-final-four.html|title=Connecticut's 111-Game Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Mississippi State|last=Longman|first=Jeré|date=April 1, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201140555/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/sports/ncaabasketball/uconn-huskies-mississippi-state-bulldogs-final-four.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Both teams play in the historic [[Harry A. Gampel Pavilion]] and [[PeoplesBank Arena]] in Hartford. The [[UConn Huskies football team]] has played its home games at [[Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field|Rentschler Field]] in East Hartford since 2003.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/conn/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/part5-15.pdf |title=2015 UConn Football Media Guide |publisher=UConn Huskies |year=2015 |page=134 |language=en |access-date=February 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118130900/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/conn/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/part5-15.pdf |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

New Haven biennially hosts "[[Harvard–Yale football rivalry|The Game]]" between the [[Yale Bulldogs]] and the [[Harvard Crimson]], the country's second-oldest college football rivalry. Yale alumnus [[Walter Camp]] is deemed the "Father of American Football", and he helped develop modern football while living in New Haven.<ref>{{College Football HoF|id=2080|name=Walter Camp}}</ref> Other Connecticut universities which feature Division{{nbsp}}I sports teams are [[Quinnipiac Bobcats|Quinnipiac University]], [[Fairfield Stags|Fairfield University]], [[Central Connecticut Blue Devils|Central Connecticut State University]] and [[Sacred Heart Pioneers|Sacred Heart University]].

==Etymology and symbols==

{{Infobox region symbols|country=United States
|image_flag = Flag of Connecticut.svg
|image_seal = Seal of Connecticut.svg
|image_arms = Coat of arms of Connecticut.svg
|state = Connecticut
|bird = [[American robin]]
|fish = [[American shad]]
|flower = [[Kalmia latifolia|Mountain laurel]]
|insect = [[European mantis]]
|mammal = [[Sperm whale]]
|tree = [[Charter Oak]], a [[white oak]]
|dance = [[Square dance]]
|fossil = [[Trace fossil|Dinosaur tracks]]
|mineral = [[Garnet]]
|motto = {{plainlist|
* ''[[Qui transtulit sustinet]]'' [[Latin]]
* "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains"}}
|shell = [[Eastern oyster]]
|ship = {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571}}, {{ship||Freedom Schooner Amistad}}
|slogan = ''Full of Surprises''
|song = {{plainlist|
* "[[Yankee Doodle]]"
* "[[Nutmegger|The Nutmeg]]"}}
|tartan = [https://portal.ct.gov/about/state-symbols/the-state-tartan/ Connecticut State Tartan]
|image_route = Connecticut Highway 15.svg
|image_quarter = 1999 CT Proof.png
|quarter_release_date = 1999
}}

The name "Connecticut" originated with the [[Mohegan]] word ''quonehtacut'', meaning "place of long tidal river".<ref name="AboutCT">{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/about/ |title=General Description & Facts |department=Portal.CT.gov |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016141503/http://portal.ct.gov/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut's official nickname is "The Constitution State", adopted in 1959 and based on its colonial constitution of 1638–1639 which was the first in America and, arguably, the world.<ref name=SOTS>{{cite web |title=Sites, Seals & Symbols |website=Secretary of the State |publisher=State of Connecticut |url = http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?A=3188&QUESTION_ID=392608 |date=August 28, 2015 |ref=SOTS |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080731053844/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?A=3188&QUESTION_ID=392608 |archive-date=July 31, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Connecticut is also unofficially known as "The [[Nutmeg]] State",<ref name = SOTS/> whose origin is unknown. It may have come from its sailors returning from voyages with nutmeg, which was a very valuable spice in the 18th and 19th centuries. It may have originated in the early machined sheet tin nutmeg grinders sold by early Connecticut peddlers. It is also facetiously said to come from [[Yankee]] peddlers from Connecticut who would sell small carved knobs of wood shaped to look like nutmeg to unsuspecting customers.<ref name = "cslib" /> [[George Washington]] gave Connecticut the title of "The Provisions State"<ref name=SOTS/> because of the material aid that the state rendered to the [[American Revolutionary War]] effort. Connecticut is also known as "The Land of Steady Habits".<ref name=SOTS />

According to ''Webster's New International Dictionary'' (1993), a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a "Connecticuter". There are numerous other terms coined in print but not in use, such as "Connecticotian" ([[Cotton Mather]] in 1702) and "Connecticutensian" ([[Samuel Peters (clergyman)|Samuel Peters]] in 1781). Linguist [[Allen Walker Read]] suggests the more playful term "Connecticutie".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/In+memoriam%3A+Allen+Walker+Read+(1906-2002)-a0125988049 |title=In memoriam: Allen Walker Read (1906–2002). |publisher=The Free Library |date=2004 |access-date=November 1, 2021 }}</ref> "[[Nutmegger]]" is sometimes used,<ref name="cslib">{{cite web |url = http://www.cslib.org/nicknamesCT.htm |title=Connecticut's Nicknames |website=Connecticut State Library |access-date=September 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110905051813/http://www.cslib.org/nicknamesCT.htm |archive-date=September 5, 2011 }}</ref> as is "[[Yankee]]".

The official state song is "[[Yankee Doodle]]". The traditional abbreviation of the state's name is "Conn."; the official [[United States postal abbreviations|postal abbreviation]] is CT.

[[Commemorative stamp]]s issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] with Connecticut themes include [[Nathan Hale]], [[Eugene O'Neill]], [[Josiah Willard Gibbs]], [[Noah Webster]], [[Eli Whitney]], the [[whaling]] ship the ''[[Charles W. Morgan (ship)|Charles W. Morgan]]'', which is docked at [[Mystic Seaport]], and a [[decoy]] of a broadbill [[duck]].
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Charter Oak in Hartford CT.jpg|The [[Charter Oak]]
File:SS-571-Nautilus-trials.gif|The {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571}}
</gallery>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Connecticut state insignia and historical figures<br /><sup>Source [[#SOTS|Sites, Seals & Symbols]] except where noted.</sup>
|-
|State aircraft || [[Vought F4U Corsair]]
|-
|State hero || [[Nathan Hale]]
|-
|State heroine || [[Prudence Crandall]]
|-
|State composer || [[Charles Edward Ives]]
|-
|[[Sculptures of the National Statuary Hall Collection|State statues]] in [[National Statuary Hall|Statuary Hall]] || [[Roger Sherman]] and [[Jonathan Trumbull]]
|-
<!-- STATE PEOPLE, HONORARY POSTS -->
|[[State poet laureate]] || [[Margaret Gibson (poet)|Margaret Gibson]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.ct.gov/DECD/Content/Arts-Culture/Awards_Recognition/State-Poet-Laureate/Meet-the-Current-Poet-Laureate |title=Meet the Current Poet Laureate |website=Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=August 23, 2020 |archive-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220151001/https://portal.ct.gov/en/404error/?item=%2fdecd%2fcontent%2farts-culture%2fawards_recognition%2fstate-poet-laureate%2fmeet-the-current-poet-laureate&user=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=website |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|[[Connecticut State Troubadour]] || [[Kala Farnham]]<ref name="DaRosa 2022">{{cite news | last=DaRosa | first=Andrew | title=CT's new state troubadour Kala Farnham bridges mental health, music | website=CT Insider | date=2022-07-28 | url=https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/kala-farnham-ct-state-troubador-17334941.php | access-date=2023-03-06}}</ref>
|-
|State composer laureate || [[Jacob Druckman]]
|}

==Notable people==
{{Main list|List of people from Connecticut
}}

==See also==

{{Portal|Connecticut|New England|United States}}
* [[Index of Connecticut-related articles]]
* [[Outline of Connecticut]]
* [[List of states and territories of the United States]]
* [[USS Connecticut|USS ''Connecticut'']], 7 ships

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|auto=1|wikt=1|s=Portal:Connecticut|d=Q779}}
* [https://portal.ct.gov/ Official website]
* [https://ctvisit.com/ CTVisit.com]—Official tourism website
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110613102359/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09000.html Connecticut QuickFacts]—U.S. Census Bureau

'''Library of Congress'''
*[https://guides.loc.gov/connecticut-state-guide Connecticut: State Resource Guide]

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Ratified [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] on January 9, 1788 (5th)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Massachusetts]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Connecticut|expanded}}
{{New England}}
{{Northeast US}}
{{Thirteen Colonies}}
{{United States political divisions}}

{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:1788 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:New England states]]
[[Category:Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1788]]
[[Category:States of the East Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:Contiguous United States]]