Frontier Airlines Growth Continues with Return to Hartford and Boston in 2019

In the spring of 2012, Frontier Airlines discontinued service to Boston’s Logan International Airport, which consisted of a daily flight to Kansas City.  Frontier has flown out of Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks in the past decade as well, with a Milwaukee flight that was discontinued in 2011 and service to Denver that ended in 2008. Now, they’re coming back to both New England airports, but they’re not headed to Milwaukee or Kansas City.  In a series of announcements in recent weeks, Frontier unveiled an expansion including eight-routes from North Carolina’s Raleigh/Durham airport.

Boston will become the 106th city on its route map with the addition. The other seven routes Frontier is launching from Raleigh/Durham include Albany, New York; Columbus, Ohio; Hartford (BDL); Jacksonville; Long Island/Islip, New York; and Philadelphia.

The added service continues a rapid ramp-up by Frontier in Raleigh/Durham (RDU). Once the new services begin, Frontier says it will offer either year-round or nonstop flights to 32 different cities from RDU.  Boston will have four weekly flights beginning May 1.  Bradley International will see three weekly flights beginning April 30.  Delta is a competitor in both markets.

[Why all the increased air traffic to North Carolina? Must be burgeoning interest in the Carolina Hurricanes since they put those Whalers jerseys back on the ice!]

Frontier also plans to launch service to Orlando from both Boston’s Logan Airport and Bradley International, and service to Denver from Bradley.  In making the announcement, Frontier pointed out that it “flies one of the youngest fleets in the industry, the Airbus A320 Family of more than 80 jet aircraft. With nearly 200 new planes on order, Frontier will continue to grow to deliver on the mission of providing affordable travel across America.”

In December, Frontier announced it was returning to Bradley with flights to Denver starting March 28, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.  Southwest and United also fly from Bradley to Denver.

The Raleigh-Durham flights will operate on the same days of the week; the Orlando service will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Bradley.

Frontier’s service from Bradley to Raleigh-Durham, Denver and Orlando is described as seasonal.  The services start this spring; the end dates for 2019 have not been announced.

Current pricing for roundtrip flights in May:  from $78 to Raleigh/Durham and Orlando, from $118 to Denver, depending upon length of stay and day of the week of selected flights.

Frontier will be Bradley’s ninth passenger airline.  Other carriers are Aer Lingus, Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United.  Some of those airlines’ flights from BDL are operated by regional affiliates flying under brands like American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express.

The tenth carrier at BDL will be Via Airlines, which will operate flights to Pittsburgh four times a week, year-round, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays beginning in July.  That announcement also came earlier this month.

Frontier announced last week that the airline and its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), ratified a new five-year working agreement. Of the 99 percent of pilots who voted, 77 percent cast ballots in favor of the agreement, the company said.

Hartford Ranks #13 Among Best Metro Regions for STEM Professionals, Analysis Finds

A new analysis of the nation’s best metropolitan areas for workers in the STEM professions has Hartford ranked just outside the top 10 at number 13.  New Haven is ranked at number 55, Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk at number 80. The comparison of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country by financial services website WalletHub, included 20 key metrics, ranging from per-capita job openings for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) graduates to annual median wage growth for STEM workers. 

According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis, STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — professions grew at over twice the rate that non-STEM jobs did between 2009 and 2015, according to WalletHub. Most types of STEM jobs are expected to expand faster than all other occupations until 2024.

The top 10 in the new analysis were Seattle, Boston, Pittsburgh, Austin, San Francisco, Madison, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Cincinnati.  Just ahead of Hartford were San Diego and Columbus, and following Hartford in the rankings were Springfield and Worcester, MA.

While Hartford ranked 24^th a year ago, the criteria were slightly revised for this year’s analysis.  WalletHub’s analyst explained that “An addition to this year's methodology is the presence of tech summer programs within a given metro area, which Hartford ranked well for. In these programs students start developing skills in coding, game development, robotics or design. Other new metrics that were added this year and contributed to Hartford's overall better ranking are utility patents and the number of tech meetups per capita."

In addition, “the unemployment rate in [metro] Hartford for adults with at least a bachelor's degree is the lowest in all the metropolitan areas analyzed, whereas last year, it was in the middle of the pack.”

The nearly two-dozen metrics were divided into three overall categories:  professional opportunities, STEM-friendliness and quality of life.  Hartford ranked tenth in quality of life category, 14^th in professional opportunities, and 17^th in STEM-friendliness, which included the quality of engineering universities, research & development spending and intensity, and mathematics performance.

The Quality of Life category included housing affordability, recreation and family friendliness, and singles friendliness.  The Professional Opportunities category included median wage, wage growth, STEM employment growth and job openings for STEM graduates.

Among the various individual metrics, the Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk metropolitan region ranked third nationally with among the highest annual median wage growth for STEM workers.  New Haven was eighth nationally in STEM-friendliness. The overall rankings for Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk and New Haven were relatively unchanged from a year ago.

Federal Government Shutdown Direct Impact on Connecticut Among Least in U.S.

The impact of the continuing partial federal government shutdown in Connecticut is among the smallest among the 50 states, in terms of the number of federal employees affected, according to a new analysis. A total of 1,481 federal employees in Connecticut work for agencies that are without federal appropriations, as the political stalemate in Washington, D.C. has drifted into the new year.  That is 18.3% of all federal employees in Connecticut.  There are 6,595 federal employees in Connecticut working for agencies that currently do have federal appropriations.

Nationally, about 800,000 federal employees are working without pay or will be furloughed.  The partial government shutdown began on December 22.

About one-third of federal agencies have not received funding. The largest of the federal agencies not yet funded include the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Interior and Transportation. In these and other agencies, a sizable share of employees are furloughed or working without pay, according to published reports.

Only Maine, Delaware and Rhode Island have fewer federal employees employed by agencies without appropriations, according data compiled by GOVERNING magazine.  Connecticut’s share of the total number of federal employees who work for agencies that have not been funded is four-tenths of one percent.

States most affected – those with the most employees – are the District of Columbia (102,183), California (41,178), Texas (35,694), Virginia (34,344), Maryland (28,266), New York (16,657), Florida (15,992), Colorado (15,818), Georgia (15,735), Missouri (14,048) and Pennsylvania (14,024).

Connecticut’s Department of Labor reportedly hopes to help some of the approximately 1,500 federal employees likely affected by the partial federal government shutdown, and who work or live in Connecticut.  Published reports indicate that Commissioner Kurt Westby indicated that the agency can assist those workers who are eligible to collect unemployment benefits to navigate the unemployment compensation process. Federal employees who are on furlough are eligible to apply online for benefits, while those required to work during the shutdown but are not getting paid are ineligible to file for unemployment.

The impact in D.C. is the greatest.  About 32,000 Homeland Security and Justice department employees are stationed in D.C., GOVERNING reports, many of whom are continuing to report to work without pay. State Department, Securities and Exchange Commission and Smithsonian Institution employees are also heavily concentrated in the District, accounting for more than half the workforce for those agencies.

California is home to nearly 10,000 employees of the Department of Agriculture, which hasn’t secured funding. The state’s federal workforce also includes approximately 7,600 Treasury Department employees and nearly 6,800 in the Department of the Interior, the GOVERNING analysis indicates.  Among agency employees impacted in Texas are nearly 9,000 Treasury Department employees, along with about 5,700 Homeland Security employees and 4,300 in the Department of Transportation.

To determine federal employment in each state, GOVERNING compiled the latest data from the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Data current as of June reflect all civilian workers, excluding those who work for the Postal Service and a limited number of smaller agencies.  The analysis does not include federal relationships that  impact private businesses.

Co-Working Headed to Sacred Heart University in Alliance with Verizon, Alley

Co-working in Connecticut will be gaining another player in the field, with a distinctive twist.  Sacred Heart University in Fairfield will be the site, as the university signs an agreement with Verizon and Alley, for the creation, management and operation of a coworking space on the university’s West Campus in Fairfield, formerly the corporate headquarters for General Electric. This new partnership, called Alley powered by Verizon, will be the first in Connecticut and the first time “Alley powered by Verizon” is located on a college campus. Verizon and Alley together have successfully built innovation hubs in New York, Cambridge, and Washington.  Locations in Palo Alto and Los Angeles were announced in September, described as “the next phase of its business that will fuel local innovation and entrepreneurship on the West Coast.”

“Fairfield County has several corporations and businesses that stand to benefit from the work that will be done here, not to mention its ideal location between New York City and Boston. We’re helping to create a startup mindset and environment that will provide members much-needed access to corporate resources typically unavailable to small businesses, from key relationship introductions to cutting-edge technology,” said Jason Saltzman, CEO of Alley.

Work on the new innovation coworking space is expected to be completed with the space open for business late next year.  It is slated to be a hub for innovation teams from large and small companies; for entrepreneurs who want to test their ideas, grow their businesses and work collaboratively in a supportive environment; and for individual professionals who want to work in a dynamic office environment, according to officials.

“A robust commitment to innovation is in keeping with the University’s dedication to educating our students on technology, emerging trends and entrepreneurship. This is exactly the kind of innovative and entrepreneurial platform that Connecticut desperately needs, and we’re delighted to be hosting it on our campus, working collaboratively with Verizon and Alley,” said SHU President John J. Petillo.

A dedicated SHU project coordinator will help identify, activate and create engagement between the innovation community and SHU’s faculty, staff, administration and student body.  As part of this venture, Alley will oversee marketing and advertising to develop a vibrant community of members, manage member experience and help coordinate events and programs. SHU also will establish a Student Concierge Service that members can use as a resource for making connections with various University programs, internships, recruiting, events, speaker sessions, office hours and mentoring.

The new center at Sacred Heart University will further Verizon’s commitment to cultivate strong relationships with academic institutions with emerging technology curricula, officials stressed.  The coworking spaces allow Verizon to tap into local startup and innovation networks, build relationships with potential partners and open new doors for ideas and technology. With Verizon, Alley is bridging the gap between startup and corporation by helping the community workspace build next-level ecosystems for entrepreneurs. Verizon provides entrepreneurs and start-up companies working on new products with the technology and services they need for growth.

As with other coworking spaces that have increasing taken root across Connecticut, the space is expected to offer various levels of memberships and services that include private office space, hot desks, meeting and conference room space, events, recruiting services, marketing services and programming services. The community also plans to draw on SHU faculty, staff, students and other resources to build an academic-focused environment that attracts local startups, entrepreneurs, corporations and other forward-thinking organizations and individuals.

“This is a major boost to Fairfield’s economic development efforts to bring more jobs and businesses to our town,” said Fairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau. “I am very excited about this Sacred Heart University initiative as it certainly goes a long way to helping replace the loss of GE in our community.”

New Tax Credit of $500 Annually for 5 Years Offered to STEM Graduates Working in CT

Passed by the state legislature over a year ago as part of the 2017 state budget compromise, a new tax credit aimed at keeping college graduates in the technology fields in Connecticut – and attracting young professionals to the state - becomes effective this year. It is a “refundable personal income tax credit for college graduates who are employed in the state; receive, on or after January 1, 2019, a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) field; and live in Connecticut or move here within two years after graduating.”  The credit is $500 and may be claimed in each of the five years after graduation.

The initiative is new to Connecticut, but not New England.  Maine has had a similar initiative for a decade, Rhode Island for more than a year.

The tax credit approved in Connecticut was advocated by House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz. Testifying at the State Capitol in support of the proposal in March, 2017, the president of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, Jennifer Widness, pointed out that “projections included in our state’s Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education indicate that by 2025 Connecticut’s economy will require a workforce in which 70% will have some education beyond high school. Hitting that 70% target will require production of 300,000 more graduates than the current rates of production will yield.”

In his testimony supporting the proposal in 2017, State Rep. Christopher Rosario of Bridgeport noted that “This is not a new concept. Over the years, we tried to find ways to provide incentives for our constituents to not only pursue higher education, but to continue to live and work in our state.”  Added Milford State Rep. Kim Rose: “This is a way to not only encourage student success in our state, but also attract creative new ideas that add to our economy. Student success is Connecticut’s success, they are the future of tomorrow.”

The program in Maine is broader, and was started in 2008 as a retention tool for young professionals already living in Maine, CNN reported recently. It has been revised through the years into a tool to attract young workers in the STEM fields. The Opportunity Maine Tax Credit reimburses student loan payments for college graduates who live and work in Maine.

The state’s website declares” “The State of Maine recognizes the investment you've made in your education, and has puts its money where its mouth is – come here to live and work, and the State will reimburse your student loan payments via the Opportunity Maine Tax Credit.”

When you move to Maine, CNN reported, the money you spend toward paying your student loan debt each year is subtracted from your state income taxes.  For instance, if you pay $1,800 toward your loan and owe the state $2,000 in taxes, you’ll only end up paying Maine $200.

Rhode Island reopened their Wavemaker Fellowship Program last year. The program offers tax credits for taxpayers who work in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) field at a Rhode Island-based employer. The credit is equal to the taxpayer’s annual loan payments -- up to $1,000 for an associate degree, $4,000 for a bachelor degree, and $6,000 for a master’s degree or higher. Taxpayers may use the credit to pay their state income tax, receive a refund of the credit amount, or both.

Top Companies Profiting from War: Two Have Major CT Presence

An analysis to determine the top 20 companies across the globe that are “profiting the most from war,” finds two with Connecticut connections. Virginia’s General Dynamics, parent company of Groton-based Electric Boat is ranked at #6 and Farmington-headquartered United Technologies is at #11. In its analysis, the website 24/7 Wall St. indicated that “global military spending increased by 3.9% in 2017, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The global rise was driven partially by a $9.6 billion hike in U.S. spending — the United States is the world’s largest defense spender by a wide margin. What growing arms investments will mean for the future of international peace is unclear. What is clear is that defense companies around the world are benefitting tremendously.”

The analysis also found that:

• Total arms sales among the world’s 100 largest defense contractors topped $398 billion in 2017 after climbing for the third consecutive years.
• Russia became the second largest arms-producing country this year, overtaking the United Kingdom for the first time since 2002.
• The United States is home to half of the world’s 10 largest defense contractors, and American companies account for 57% of total arms sales of the world’s 100 largest defense contractors (based on SIPRI data).

Leading the list was Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, the largest defense contractor in the world, with $44.9 billion in arms sales.  Rounding out the top five were Boeing, Raytheon, BAE Systems, and Northrup Grumman.

For United Technologies, the analysis indicated arms sales of $7.8 billion, total sales of $59.8 billion, and profit of $4.9 billion, led by its subsidiary brands Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney.  Collins Aerospace designs and sells advanced systems for military helicopters, including rescue hoists, autopilot systems, and laser guided weapon warning systems, the report noted. Pratt & Whitney designs and manufactures engines currently in use by 34 militaries worldwide.

United Technologies recently announced plans to split into three independent companies. Plans are for company’s defense division to remain under the United Technologies name, as the Otis Elevator Company and Carrier breaking off as independent entities.

During 2017, General Dynamics – based in Falls Church, Virginia, - sold $19.5 billion worth of arms, the fifth most of any U.S. company and the sixth most of any company worldwide. In the past year, General Dynamics earned a $5.1 billion contract to design and develop a prototype of the Columbia-class submarine. Electric Boat was awarded a contract modification to continue development of the US Navy’s next-generation Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine.

“In close collaboration with the navy and the submarine industrial base, Electric Boat will continue to lead key aspects of the Columbia-class development effort,” said General Dynamics Electric Boat president Jeffrey S Geiger.  “This work includes design, material procurement, construction and operating cost reduction. The entire Columbia-class team is committed to achieving an affordable and effective programme. Our nation’s security depends on it.”

Connecticut Ranks Third in U.S. in Preventing Youth Homelessness; Grant to Support Efforts

Washington, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are the most successful states at preventing youth homelessness, with Connecticut ranking third in the nation, according to the 2018 State Index on Youth Homelessness.  The report, by the True Colors Fund in partnership with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, analyzed 61 metrics in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Homelessness is defined as experiences of sleeping in places not meant for living, staying in shelters, or temporarily staying with others while lacking a safe and stable alternative living arrangement. Alabama, South Carolina, Wyoming, and Arkansas were the least successful states at preventing youth homelessness.

In recent weeks, it was announced that Connecticut will use $6.5 million in federal grants to provide housing opportunities for homeless youth, building on its successful track-record. The grants will fund new, innovative housing assistance programs for young adults as part of a coordinated housing continuum that assures those in need can quickly obtain permanent housing and necessary supports, according to state officials.

The grants were allocated as part of a competitive process through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP). To date, Connecticut has been awarded the largest grant of any jurisdiction in the country.

Building off the state’s nationally recognized progress in ending homelessness under the Malloy administration – which includes being the first state in the nation certified for ending chronic veteran homelessness, being one of only three states certified for ending general veteran homelessness, and matching all chronically homelessness individuals to housing – the state has set a goal of ending both youth and family homelessness by the end of 2020.

Speaking last week before a legislative working group, Gov. Malloy said “Nothing I suspect is more shattering as a child than to find oneself homeless – or even as a young adult – so I’m particularly happy over this past year that we’ve been able to fund a number of units designed specifically to meet the needs of younger homeless individuals.”

Overall, at the start of the year, homelessness in Connecticut was at a record low, according to a report from The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.  It found that homelessness in the state has decreased for a fifth consecutive year and was at its lowest level to date. The report found that, as of Jan. 2018, roughly 3,300 people were homeless in Connecticut.  The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness states that overall homelessness in the state is down 25 percent from 2007.

Since 2011, the state Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority have created, rehabilitated, or committed funding for nearly 25,000 units of housing – approximately 22,000 of which are affordable to low and moderate income individuals and families, officials point out. This represents a state investment of more than $1.42 billion, which has been matched by over $2.45 billion from other financial sources, including the private sector.

Hartford Ranked 3rd in U.S. for Women in Business

If you’re a woman in business, Hartford is among the best places in the nation to be.  That’s according to a new analysis by the website ShareFile, which ranked Hartford as the third best place in the U.S. for businesswomen.  Hartford ranked seventh a year ago. The “Businesswomen Power City Index” was developed by evaluating the 50 largest cities in the U.S. to determine where the best locations are for women to achieve business success, according to ShareFile.  The index ranks cities based on the percentage of women-owned businesses, executive jobs held by women, women vs. men wage gaps and the buying power of women, which is based on the cost of living and the average wages earned by women.

Hartford has jumped four places from 2017, as a result of a higher percentage of women-owned businesses (up 1.4%), according to the analysis.  Hartford’s ranking in the individual categories was:

• 3^rd (down from 2^nd) in women’s buying power: 119
• 6th (same as last year) in the percentage of women business executives: 31.9%
• 16^th (up from 22^nd) in the wage gap between women and men: 18.1%
• 31^st (up from 42^nd) in the percentage of women-owned businesses: 20.4%

The website points out that Hartford is home to the Women’s Business Center, located at the University of Hartford, which supports female entrepreneurs across the city and the state, offering advice, training, and events for women looking to expand their business.

Hartford is the only New England city in the top 20.  Providence, in the top 10 a year ago, fell out of the top 20.

Just ahead of Hartford, and retaining the top two positions in the ranking, were Baltimore and Tampa.  Rounding out the top 15 were Washington DC, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Denver, Orlando, Miami, Austin, Virginia Beach, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Aside from the top two, no other city in the top 20 has remained in the same position as a year ago.

The analysis relies on data from four main sources, including the U.S. Census 2016 Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs, U.S Census Bureau 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates, Sperling’s Best Places and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. ShareFile is a cloud-based file sharing service, a Citrix Systems company, based in Raleigh.

Millennials Make the Most Money in Massachusetts; Connecticut Ranks 16th

If you were born between 1982 and 2000, and you live in Massachusetts, you’re making more money, on average, then people of your generation living elsewhere in the United States.  If you live in Connecticut, there are 15 states where the average salary for millennials is higher. Based on U.S. Census data analyzed by the website howmuch.com, the average salary for millennials in Connecticut is $69,600, compared with $80,307 in Massachusetts.  The states in between, reaching the top 10, are Minnesota ($77,090), North Dakota ($76,836), Washington, DC ($75,220), Maryland ($74,737), New Hampshire ($73,941), Wyoming ($73,345), Alaska ($72,374), New Jersey ($72,150), and Virginia ($71,397).

Also ahead of Connecticut are Utah ($71,284), South Dakota ($70,989), Nebraska ($70,870), Washington ($70,441), and Iowa ($69,739).

The analysis points out that millennials “are the most diverse generation in American history, more of them went to college than previous generations, and they are now the largest contingent in the workforce. Many of them also graduated in the middle of the Great Recession, which economists believe might have a lifelong impact on their wages.”

Geography also plays a role, according to the data.  The South, for example, “clearly stands out as a lackluster region for millennials in the labor market.”  In the Upper Midwest, salaries tend to be higher, and the same is true for much of the Northeast.

With the exception of Washington State, much of the west coast does not stand out.  “This highlights the fact that big tech companies are creating great jobs for a select group of skilled workers,” the analysis points out.

Millennials are making the least amount of money in Florida ($54,889), Mississippi ($53,269) and New Mexico ($51,893).

The data used is 2016 median household income for 25 to 44 year olds, taken from Census data and adjusted by Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parity data, the most recent and comprehensive available.

CT Per Student Spending in Public Higher Education Saw 7th Largest Drop in Nation During Past Decade

The burden has shifted and grown during the past decade for students attending Connecticut’s public two- and four-year institutions of higher education. Between 2008 and 2018, average tuition at public colleges and universities (adjusted for inflation) grew by 38.4 percent in Connecticut, according to a new national analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The study found that average tuition increased by $3,437 during the decade – 13^th largest average increase among the states - as state spending per student dropped by $3,203.

That is the 7^th largest average drop in state per student spending in the nation, and the largest among the New England states.  The next largest state reduction in the region was in New Hampshire, ranking 24th.  Massachusetts ranked 28^th, reducing state spending per student by $1,295.

Tuition climbed as state spending per student dropped by 20.2 percent at Connecticut’s public higher education institutions - the 20th largest percentage decrease among the states.

Connecticut is not alone.

Overall state funding for public two- and four-year colleges in the school year ending in 2018 was more than $7 billion below its 2008 level, after adjusting for inflation, according to the study.

Of the 49 states (all except Illinois) analyzed over the full 2008-2018 period:

• 45 spent less per student in the 2018 school year than in 2008. The only states spending more than in 2008 were California, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Wyoming.
• States cut funding deeply after the recession hit. The average state spent $1,502, or 16 percent, less per student in 2018 than in 2008.
• Per-student funding in nine states — Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina — fell by more than 30 percent over this period.

The report also found that annual published tuition at four-year public colleges has risen by $2,651, or 36 percent, since the 2008 school year.  In Louisiana, published tuition at four-year schools has doubled, while in six other states — Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, and Hawaii — published tuition is up more than 60 percent.

“These sharp tuition increases have accelerated longer-term trends of college becoming less affordable and costs shifting from states to students,” the report, “Unkept Promises:  State Cuts to Higher Education Threaten Access and Equity,” stated.

The largest tuition increases, comparing public, four-year colleges in 2008 and 2018, were in Arizona, Louisiana, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado, Alabama, California, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Tennessee, Connecticut and Massachusetts.  Connecticut was fourth highest among the six New England states.  Maine had the smallest tuition increase.

Indications are that the trend has slowed during the past year.  Published tuition — the “sticker price” — at public four-year institutions rose by less than 1 percent nationally between the 2017 and 2018 school years, the report indicated.  Rhode Island increased average tuition across its four-year institutions on a dollar basis more than any other state, by $559, or roughly 4.8 percent. Connecticut - along with Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, and Oregon - raised average tuition by more than $300, according to data compiled for the report, published last month.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonpartisan research and policy institute which pursues federal and state policies designed both to reduce poverty and inequality and to restore fiscal responsibility in equitable and effective ways, according to the organization’s website.  The Center is based in Washington, D.C.