Connecticut

Is CT’s economy ‘growing’? It depends on how you define it

Published

2 years ago

May 5, 2024

Is CT’s economy ‘growing’? It depends on how you define it

“We have more people employed” is one of the many things Gov. Ned Lamont touted earlier this week in response to a claim that Connecticut’s economy is continuously weakening.

The criticism came from Fred Carstensen, a professor and economist at the University of Connecticut who heads the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis, and it was asked during a one-on-one interview on Tuesday between The Connecticut Mirror and Lamont.

“Right now, we have the fastest growing economy in the northeast by a little bit,” Lamont continued.

But what makes an economy “grow” and be “fast”? It depends on whom you ask, and it’s often more complicated than looking at one single measure. One might consider inflation, income distribution, cost-of-living, total output, exports and many other factors, each of which paints a different picture of the state’s economy.

One common way to look at it, though, is by considering employment — how many people are working, how many are eligible, how many are looking to work and so forth.

Lamont said that there are more people employed now than before. Is that true? According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it depends on the time frame. The average number of people employed in 2023 in Connecticut was 1.822 million, which is a:

• 0.63% decrease from the 2022 average (1.833 million → 1.822)

• 2.16% decrease from 2019 (1.862 million → 1.822)

• 6% increase from 2013 (1.718 million → 1.822)

• 5.7% increase since 2000 (1.723 million → 1.822)

More people are employed in Connecticut than decades ago, but that’s normal of any state that’s seeing an increase in population.

While the number of employed people grew in the state by 5.7% since 2000, the 16-and-over population increased by 12% — a difference not unexpected, as Connecticut’s population is aging, along with other factors.

Another measure that shows this relationship is the employment to population ratio. In 2000, the ratio of employed people to the total population was 65%. In 2023, it was 61.8%. Decreases were seen for every other New England state as well.

Shorter-term, there were fewer people employed last year than before the pandemic in 2019, when Connecticut saw a record number of workers at 1.862 million. All New England states except Rhode Island experienced a decrease in the number of workers since 2019.

The portion of the population that isn’t working could be either not part of the labor force or unemployed. The number of people that are unemployed or looking for a job out of the entire labor force makes up the unemployment rate.

The 2023 unemployment rate for Connecticut was 3.8%, the highest in New England, but any “unemployment rate around 4% would be considered low by historic standards,” writes a researcher from the state’s Department of Labor in the March 2024 edition of the Connecticut Economic Digest.

The unemployment rate has been falling since 2020, a sign of recovery from the pandemic, but the rate is still slightly higher than before the pandemic, a trend also seen for Massachusetts but not for any other New England state. In 2019, the unemployment rate in Connecticut was 3.6% while in 2023 it was 3.8%.

The 2023 unemployment rate is not as low as levels seen in 2000, when it reached 2.1%, but it’s still lower than the 4.9% rate seen in 1990.

Some argue that an increasing unemployment rate can be a good thing, despite its negative connotation. In a September 2022 national analysis, a time when the unemployment rate rose, the chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor at the time wrote that, “The unemployment rate rose for a positive reason — more unemployed workers began seeking jobs.”

If more people are joining the labor force by looking for a job, the unemployment rate will go up, since there will be more people classified as “unemployed.”

There’s also a measure known as the labor force participation rate, which combines both measures discussed above: The employed plus the unemployed as a share of the total working age population.

In 1990, Connecticut’s labor force participation rate was 70.6%, but last year it sat at 64.2%. This decades-long decreasing trend is also seen for other New England states and is associated with an aging population and a decrease in participation from certain groups of men, as explained by researchers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

In recent years though, the 2023 participation rate has recovered from a historic low in 2021, but it is not yet back to levels seen in 2019 before the pandemic, where the rate was 66.3%, just 2.1 percentage points higher than last year’s rate.

So what does this all mean? Lamont was right in that there are more workers now than decades ago, but that’s expected if the population of a state is growing. But when taking that into account, the number of workers is not increasing as fast as the 16-and-older population. As of last year, employment numbers and labor force participation rates for the state are still not at pre-pandemic levels, and the unemployment rate is higher, although decreasing.

And among New England states, Connecticut last year had the highest unemployment rate and the third-lowest labor force participation rate, but it wasn’t the only New England state to see decreases.

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Connecticut

Connecticut to erase $63 million in medical debt for 40,000 residents

Published

2 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Connecticut to erase million in medical debt for 40,000 residents

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Nearly 40,000 Connecticut residents will find some good news in their mailboxes this week: their medical debt has been erased.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that letters are going out to residents informing them that some or all of their medical bills have been eliminated. This third round of the Medical Debt Erasure Initiative is wiping out more than $63 million in medical debt.

Since the program began in December 2024, nearly 160,000 Connecticut residents have had a total of $198 million in medical debt eliminated.

“Medical debt can delay healing due to stress and anxiety about how to pay these bills,” Lamont said. “This makes a real difference in the lives of our families, reducing fear and concerns.”

The state partners with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to buy large bundles of qualifying medical debt for pennies on the dollar. To qualify, residents must have income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or have medical debt that equals 5% or more of their income.

There’s no application process — the debt erasure happens automatically through purchases from participating hospitals and collection agencies. Residents who qualify will receive letters from Undue Medical Debt over the next several days.

The first round erased about $30 million for roughly 23,000 people, and the second round eliminated more than $100 million for 100,000 people. Lamont plans to continue the program using $6.5 million in federal ARPA funding.

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Connecticut

Child confirmed as Connecticut’s first measles case in 4 years

Published

14 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Child confirmed as Connecticut’s first measles case in 4 years

Health

The child, who is under the age of 10 and unvaccinated, recently traveled internationally, health officials said.

FILE – A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. AP Photo/Annie Rice, File

An unvaccinated child in Connecticut has been diagnosed with measles, public health officials confirmed, the state’s first confirmed case of the highly contagious disease since 2021.

The child, who is under the age of 10, lives in Fairfield County, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced last week. The child had recently travelled internationally before showing symptoms including cough, runny nose, congestion, fever, and eventually a full-body rash.

“The single best way to protect your children and yourself from measles is to be vaccinated,” Connecticut DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, said in a statement. “One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.”

The United States has seen a record high 1,912 measles cases since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, the CDC reported. As of July 7, this year has also reported the most cases in more than 30 years, according to the International Vaccine Access Center.

Earlier this year, West Texas saw a measles outbreak of hundreds of cases, mostly among unvaccinated children who had to be hospitalized. About one in five unvaccinated people diagnosed with measles are hospitalized, Connecticut DPH said, and the disease can be especially dangerous for children.

“We must ensure we continue to protect those who matter most – children and other vulnerable people – from vaccine preventable illnesses through on-time vaccination,” Juthani said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his overhaul on the childhood vaccine schedule and doubts on COVID vaccine safety, endorsed the measles vaccine after two children died from measles amid the outbreak in Texas.

“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy said in April.

Earlier this year, a Vermont child who had recently traveled internationally was confirmed to have been infected with measles. In March, a man tested positive for measles after traveling on an Amtrak train originating from Boston’s South Station to Washington D.C.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

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Connecticut

Final Connecticut High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Dec. 14

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Final Connecticut High School Football Top 25 Rankings – Dec. 14

The Connecticut high school football’s CIAC postseason wrapped up with the state championships this past weekend on Saturday.

Finishing in the No. 1 spot in this week’s final Top 25 rankings out of the Constitution State is Avon Old Farms after they defeated The Williston Northampton School, 35-21, in the Drew Gamere Bowl to end their season a few weeks ago. New Canaan sits right behind as they repeated as Class L champs. Which other teams from around Connecticut high school football deserves to be in the final set of Top 25 rankings for the 2025 campaign?

The Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Here are the last Connecticut high school football rankings for 2025, according to Massey as of Dec. 14.

1. Avon Old Farms Beavers

Avon Old Farms (10-0) opened up the Connecticut high school football season by avenging a loss to Brunswick School from last season and have set the tone for the rest of the campaign. The Beavers have a talented offense that’s averaging 40.7 points per game, led by quarterback Matthew Baer, running back Kharon Craig, and offensive tackle Charlie Thom (Notre Dame commitment).

The Beavers have concluded their season play out of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Counci (NEPSAC) when they defeated The Williston Northampton School last week in the Drew Gamere Bowl, 35-21. Avon Old Farms finishes as the No. 1 team in the Connecticut high school football rankings.

2. New Canaan Rams

The defending Class L state champion New Canaan Rams (13-0) have done it once again as they defeated Cheshire, 34-13.

The Rams have won back to back playoff games versus Darien and Weaver with ease, winning by a combined 85-13. New Canaan won its 16th state championship in head coach Lou Marinelli’s legendary career. With the win, New Canaan clinched their fourth undefeated season in program history for the Rams (1968, 1969, 2008, 2025).

New Canaan has used a high-powered offense to cruise past opponents this fall, with quarterback Maddox Hoffman throwing for 1,936 yards and 21 touchdowns. Running back Henry Stein leads the ground game as he’s rushed for 916 yards and seven touchdowns.

3. Choate Rosemary Hall Wild Boars

Choate Rosemary Hall (8-2) saw its 18-game winning streak snapped back in Week 1 when they lost against New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy in a battle of top-ranked teams in their respective states.

The Wild Boars will finish likely within the Top 5 of the rankings after they ended their 2025 season in exciting fashion as they avenged that defeat by beating Phillips Exeter Academy in the Leon Modeste Bowl in a 44-42 thriller.

In 2024, the Wild Boars had completed their second consecutive perfect season after defeating Brunswick School. They have lost only four games over the last four Connecticut high school football seasons and only allowed only four opponent to score double digits.

The Wild Boars are another prep school that features multiple future Division I players, including Tanner Raymond (Rutgers) and interior offense lineman Will Tellers.

4. St. Thomas More Chancellors

St. Thomas More (1-3) remain steady as the No. 3 team in our latest set of Connecticut high school football rankings after a 50-21 loss to New Jersey’s No. 3 team, Hun School to end their season.

The Chancellors only losses from the 2024 season came against Maryland’s St. Frances Academy, Hun School, and Florida’s IMG Academy, respectively. St. Thomas More doesn’t have anymore scheduled games left on their 2025 slate.

Among the players the Chancellors feature on their roster are four-star edge rusher Alhassan Iddrissu (UCF), cornerback Terron Johnson, running back Malichi Greaves, and linebacker Christian King.

5. Daniel Hand Tigers

The Daniel Hand Tigers (13-1) has dominated in the Class SS playoffs, dominating all three opponents by a combined score of 122-32, after defeating the Killingly Trailblazers, 37-13, on Saturday.

Fueling the Daniel Hand offensive attack is the strong play of senior signal caller Bobby Reh, who has thrown for 2,194 yards and 29 touchdowns to only three mere picks. Junior running back Lucca Boyce leads the ground game with 1,272 yards and 14 touchdowns.

6. St Joseph (8-2)
7. Cheshire Academy (7-3)
8. Windsor (12-1)
9. Brunswick School (6-4)
10. Greenwich (8-2)

11. Newtown (8-2)
12. Killingly (11-1)
13. Fairfield College Preparatory (8-2)
14. Wilton (10-2)
15. The Taft School (5-4)

16. Bunnell (10-3)
17. Kingswood-Oxford School (8-2)
18. Berlin (12-0)
19. The Loomis Chaffee School (3-6)
20. Darien (6-5)

21. Brookfield (8-3)
22. Staples (5-5)
23. Cheshire (8-3)
24. Southington (7-3)
25. Mark T. Sheehan (10-3)

For Connecticut high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Constitution State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Connecticut high school scores and football rankings.

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