Connecticut, one of the 13 original colonies, joined the Union in January 1788 and participated in all 59 presidential elections. The state maintained eight electoral votes from the 1930s through 2000 but dropped to seven in 2004. Connecticut has gone through periods where it primarily voted Republican. However, it has gone Democrat for the last eight elections and is not considered a battleground state. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by 20%.
Situated along the Eastern seaboard, the coastal state of Connecticut is one of the six states in America's "New England" region. Connecticut's population shrank from 3,579,125 in 2010 to 3,567,871 in 2019 but recovered and grew to 3,615,499 by the start of 2023, amounting to 1.07% of the total U.S. population. Connecticut's population growth of 1.16% from 2010 to 2023 is the lowest positive growth of any state, although three states—West Virginia, Mississippi, and Illinois—experienced negative population growth during that time.
Connecticut is the third-smallest state by area, covering 5,543 square miles (mi²). The state's diminutive size likely contributes to its notably high population density of 747 people per square mile, which ranks the fourth-highest in the country and massively exceeds the national population density of 96 people/mi².
Connecticut enacted the first speed limit for motor vehicles in the United States, 12 miles per hour in the city and 15 mph in the country, in 1901. Connecticut's Wadsworth Art Museum, founded in 1842, is the oldest in the United States.
Over the past couple of years, Connecticut has begun to see a decline in population numbers, losing .11% of its population annually. This makes the state one of just seven that are seeing a decline beginning in 2016.
The U.S. state of Connecticut has 169 municipalities, including 19 cities, 149 towns, and one borough.
The median age in Connecticut is 40.6 years, and the total state population has a small gender gap of 51.2% female and 48.8% male.
In terms of religious diversity, the state strongly prefers Christianity, with 70% of the population having a Christian affiliation, 7% having non-Christian affiliations, and the remaining 28% reporting that they are without a particular faith.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Connecticut was:
White: 72%
Black or African American: 10.8%
Two or more races: 6.3%
Other race: 5.98%
Asian: 4.64%
Native American: 0.24%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%
Muslims number 43,905, or 1.4 percent of the population.
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