This report describes selected demographic and workforce trends in Connecticut and nationally.

Connecticut and the rest of the New England states have had several decades of slow population growth. In both the 1990s and 2000s, the population of every New England state grew more slowly than the national average, as shown in Table 1. Between 1980 and 2010, each New England state except New Hampshire lost ground in the state-by-state population rankings.

The population in New England is also older than the national population. According to the 2010 Census, the median age in every New England state is greater than the national median age of 37.2 years (see Table 2). Of the seven states with a median age of 40 or older, four of them are in New England. (Connecticut's median age is 40.) Additionally, the percentage of the population in both the 45-64 and 65 and older categories in every New England state is higher than the national average.

In 2000, people 65 and older comprised 13.8% of Connecticut's population. By 2025, the Connecticut State Data Center projects that that proportion will increase to 20.9% (see Table 3). On the other hand, the share of the state's population that is younger than 15 is projected to decrease, from 20.8% in 2000 to 15.6% in 2025.

As Table 1 above showed, Connecticut's population has grown more slowly than the U.S. population in the past three decades. The state's slow population growth is expected to continue for the forseeable future (see Table 4). Between 2010 and 2025, the state data center projects that the state's population will increase by 4.8% (3.57 million to 3.74 million). This projected increase, over a 15-year period, is smaller than the actual increase (4.9%) over the most recent 10-year period (2000-2010).

But while Connecticut's overall population is forecast to grow slowly, growth among its 65 and older population is expected to accelerate. Between 2010 and 2025, the state data center projects that Connecticut's 65 and older population will increase by 54.5% (506,559 to 782,848), including an expected increase of nearly 15% between 2010 and 2015. Meanwhile, the under-15 population is expected to see a 12% decrease over the 2010-2025 period, from 664,942 in 2010 to 584,903 in 2025.

Table 4 shows the actual or projected rate of growth or decline for different age groups in Connecticut and for the state as a whole. The percent changes are measured from the previous year in the table (e.g., a 5% change in 2015 means a 5% increase from 2010).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut State Data Center (November 1, 2012 edition)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the U.S. labor force is projected to grow by 6.8% between 2010 and 2020, compared with 7.9% growth between 2000 and 2010.

One reason for this slower rate of growth is that a lower percentage of the population is projected to participate in the labor force. The labor force participation rate measures the labor force as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population. BLS projects that this rate will decrease to 62.5% by 2020, a 2.2 percentage point decline from 2010. The decline is a continuation of the trend from 2000-2010, when the rate decreased by 2.4 percentage points.

Table 5 shows labor force participation rates by age group for 1990, 2000, and 2010 and projected rates for 2020. BLS projects that the labor force participation rate will decrease in the next 10 years for people younger than 55, with particularly sharp decreases among 16-24 year olds. This decrease outweighs the projected rate increase among people 55 and older. The 62-64 year old age group is projected to have the sharpest increase in the next 10 years, from 49.8% in 2010 to 58.5% in 2020.

Tables 6 and 7 show the percentage of the workforce that is in a particular occupation or industry, respectively. They show data for Connecticut and the U.S. in both 2000 and 2010. In both Connecticut and the U.S., educational, health, and social services saw its share of the workforce increase the most, while manufacturing saw its share decline the most.

Table 8 shows Connecticut's nonfarm payroll data for 2009-2011. In terms of number of jobs, education and health services saw the most growth, while government saw the most losses.