Census estimates show population ebbing in cities

Connecticut’s major population centers continued to lose residents last year, even as real estate agents reported a spike in interest in Connecticut homes the past few weeks from Greenwich to Mystic.

Fairfield County lost about 640 residents over the 12-month period ending last July to give it a population of 943,332 people, according to new estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 0.1 percent decline was the smallest among Connecticut metropolitan areas.

The Hartford region lost double the number of residents to give it just over 1.2 million people as of July 2019, the Census Bureau estimated. The New Haven region’s exodus of more than 2,200 people dropped its numbers below 855,000 for a 0.3 percent decline. The New London area had the steepest reduction at 0.4 percent, or close to 2,000 residents.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Connecticut’s overall population loss last year at 0.2 percent, one of 10 states to see a decline. The 2020 Census is currently underway, with Connecticut’s response rate at 63.4 percent of residents as of May 19.

Amid continuing uncertainty over New York City closures and social distancing policies as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Connecticut has seen an uptick in bids for upper-tier properties statewide, building on a recovery last year in the starter home market.

The Utah city of St. George, east of Las Vegas, led the nation with a 3.5 percent increase in population, with Myrtle Beach, S.C., tops in the East with a 3.1 percent gain. In the Northeast, the Nashua, N.H., area edged Portland, Maine, for population gains, with both at 0.6 percent.

The New York City region, which the Census Bureau defines as including portions of northern New Jersey, lost more than 60,000 residents for a 0.3 percent decline. The Florida panhandle metropolis of Panama City had the sharpest decline nationally at 6.2 percent, with Watertown, N.Y., trailing the Northeast with a 1.2 percent drop and Pittsfield, Mass., seeing the biggest outflow among New England states at 0.8 percent.

Associated Press A construction worker takes a measurement at the Harbor Point redevelopment site Wednesday on the Stamford waterfront.