Connecticut’s Under-18 Population Ranks #37 in USA, Has Dropped During Past Decade

Where are the nation’s young people? Definitely not in New England, proportionally speaking. Nearly one-third of Utah’s residents - 31.3 percent - are under age 18, the highest percentage in the nation. In Connecticut, the under 18 population is just over one-fifth, at 22.4 percent, ranking the state at #37, and below the national average of 23.7 percent.

Connecticut, however, fares better than its New England neighbors in the percentage of population that is under age 18. The New Engalnd states of Rhode Island (20.8 percent), Maine (20.4 percent) and Vermont (20.1 percent) are ranked #48, #49, and #50 at the bottom of the list, with the smallest percentage of residents under age 18. Massachusetts ranked #44 and New Hampshire at #45.

Among the states with the highest percentage of their population under age 18, after Utah, are Texas at 27.1 percent, Idaho at 27 percent, Alaska at 26 percent and Georgia at 23.5 percent. The lowest percentage is in Washington, D.C. at 17.1 percent.

Connecticut’s percentage of residents under age 18 has dwindled during the past decade, from 24 percent in January 2004 to 23.6 in January 2008, to 22.4 in January 2012. Between May 2010 and May 2012 only Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont experienced a larger drop in the percentage of under 18 population.

New York (#42) and Pennsylvania (#43) are also in the bottom ten. New Jersey has the highest percent of young people in the region, ranked at #30, with 23.2 percent.

Under 18 years old is defined as the percent of the total population under age 18. Data on age were collected as part of the American Community Survey (ACS) of the U.S. Census, a nationwide survey designed to provide communities with demographic, social, economic and housing data every year. It has an annual sample size of about 3 million addresses across the U.S. The data was reported by Bloomberg.com, using the latest ACS data through 2012, and was compliled in 2013.