Manufacturing Grows in CT as China Gains on US

State-by-state  data released by the National Science Board indicates that 2011 was the first year since 1998 that manufacturing employment in Connecticut increased. The percentage of Connecticut college graduates receiving a science or engineering degree was 33.1 percent — ranking the state No. 10 in the nation. In the proficiency of fourth and eighth graders in math and science, Connecticut was in the top quartile in every category.  And the state’s percentage of doctorate of science and engineering holders among the workforce ranked fourth in the nation. That's the good news - for Connecticut - in "Science and Engineering Indicators 2012," a 575-page report measuring and characterizing R&D, education, workforce, academic, public attitudes and state data.

The broader context is that China outpaces the U.S.  in the number of advanced degrees in natural science and engineering, hampering the country’s chance of leading globally in high-tech research and production, according to the National Science Board, which is the governing body of the National Science Foundation.  And overall, the U.S. lost more than a quarter of its high-tech manufacturing jobs during the past decade as U.S.-based multinational companies placed a growing percentage of their research-and-development operations overseas.

Property Tax 41, Income Tax 33

Where does your tax dollar go if you live in Connecticut?  A full 41% to local property taxes, 33% to the state income tax, 15% to the state sales tax, 4% to Connecticut corporation income taxes and 7% to an array of other state taxes.  The data, from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, will be part of the conversation as the 2012 state legislative session convenes.

More People, Less Parking; Fewer Cars, Longer Life

There has been an increasing focus in Connecticut and nationwide on walkable cities, transit oriented development, the imperative for more people and less parking, and the impact of redesigned streets on public safety. Among the initiatives are the iQuilt plan in Hartford, and the efforts of the New Haven Urban Design League.  The League hosted UConn's Norman Garrick, a leader in the field,  in a public session where he highlighted comparisons to Cambridge, where transit has been emphasized with good result - less so in Connecticut's major cities.  (For example, the proportion of Hartford’s land covered by parking jumped from 3.1 percent in 1960 to 8.4 percent in 2000.) Hartford's Real Art Ways brought in the recent documentary film Urbanized, which pointed out that 50 percent of the world's population now lives in cities, with that number expected to climb to 70 percent within a few decades.  (Note that Connecticut's major cities increased in population during the past decade.)

Dr. Richard J. Jackson of UCLA recently pointed out that "People who walk more weigh less and live longer."  As a result of the restructuring of cities within the past fifty years, placing the perceived needs of cars over pedestrians and cyclists, he said that without dramatic changes "people in the current generation (born since 1980)will be the first in America to live shorter lives than their parents do."

CT Tigers Attendance Jumps, Rock Cats Remain Strong

With baseball's spring training approaching, last year's attendance numbers for Connecticut's minor league teams are worth review.  The Connecticut Tigers - playing in Norwich - ranked fourth in all of minor league baseball in improved attendance for the 2011 season, according to a website that tracked professional baseball attendance.  Ballpark Digest reports the Tigers’ attendance for 2011 improved by 20 percent, from an average of 1,485  in the Class A minor league team’s first year in  2010 to 1,780 fans per game last year.  The team's 35 games were played at Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium.  Although the attendance average ranked 11th of 14 teams in the New York-Penn League, the 20 percent increase was by far the league's best. Among 350 affiliated, independent and summer-collegiate teams at all professional levels - attracting a total of 51 million fans during the 2011 baseball season - the New Britain Rock Cats came in strong at number 32, with 363,759 fans attending 62 games during the season.  That's an average of 5,867, up slightly from 5,500 the previous year.

The Bridgeport Bluefish were #158  among all of professional baseball's teams with average attendance of 2,274 (down slightly from 2,471 in 2010); the Connecticut Tigers were #188 and the Danbury Westerners ranked #299.

New Haven's Economic Resilience

With 77,080 jobs, the city of New Haven has the second highest concentration of jobs in Connecticut (and the highest percentage of growth in recent years).  Interestingly,  approximately 7,500 individuals are considered freelance or self-employed workers, a group often hard to identify and quantify, according to a study by DataCore Partners LLC.  New Haven's Economic Development Commission says these include creative sector professionals, academic telecommuters and consultants in a wide array of fields with clients throughout the region.  All of which contributes to what is described as New Haven's "resilience through a recession."

Videos Seek to Prevent Underage Drinking

It might seem an unlikely collaboration, but The Governor's Prevention Partnership, state Department of Consumer Protection, Connecticut State Police and Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut (WSWC) have teamed up to combat underage drinking.  The fifth annual WSWC Public Service Announcement Video Contest for Connecticut college students is underway, launched this month at the University of New Haven.  Winning entries in the statewide contest - aimed at reducing underage drinking in CT - will be telecast on Connecticut broadcast and cable stations.  According to material prepared by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, 32% of 12-20 year olds in Connecticut drink - which translates to about 134,000 young people.  Last year's winning entry came from students at Western Connecticut State University.

Heart Health Remains Serious Concern

Data featured by The Hartford Courant in a front page wrap-around section supported by Hartford Healthcare reported that the American Heart Association considers Connecticut to be "a comparatively heart-healthy state."  Nonetheless, cardiovascular disease remains a major health issues, as reflected in the numbers:

• 6,209 deaths in CT from heart disease in 2008 (down from 7,289 in 2007)
• 25% of deaths in CT were attributed to heart disease in 2009 (Cancer was second, at 24%)

Data also indicated that 37.8% of CT adults have high cholesterol, 26.6% have high blood pressure, and 21.4 % are obese.

The good news?  79.3% of CT adults report participating in a physical activity in the past month, compared with 76% nationwide.

Hispanic Population Increasing, Especially in Schools

Connecticut's Hispanic population is nearly half a million - 479,087 - which represents 13.4 percent of the state's population, according to data highlighted by the state's Latino and Puerto Rico Affairs Commission (LPRAC).  Reflecting the increasing Hispanic population across the state, Hispanics as a percent of all K-12 students in Connecticut is 17 percent - higher than the percentage in the overall population.  The median age of Connecticut's Hispanic population is 28 years old.

CT Cities Showing Population Growth

Connecticut abolished county government decades ago, but population numbers viewed by county continue to demonstrate where the growth is across the state.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the state's most populous county is Fairfield, with a population of 916,829 - an increase of 3.9 percent since 2000. The other counties in the top five are Hartford, with a population of 894,014 (increase of 4.3 percent); New Haven, 862,477 (increase of 4.7 percent); New London, 274,055 (increase of 5.8 percent); and Litchfield, 189,927 (increase of 4.2 percent). Fairfield County includes two of the state's largest cities:  #1 Bridgeport (pop. 144,229) and #4 Stamford (122,643).  Rounding out the top five cities are  #2 New Haven, 129,779; #3 Hartford, 124,775;  and #5 Waterbury, 110,366. Largest city growth?  New Haven grew by 5 percent between 2000 and 2010, Stamford by 4.7 percent  and Bridgeport by 3.4 percent.  Waterbury grew by 2.9 percent and Hartford by 2.6 percent over the decade.