Employment rose in 3 of the 6 largest planning regions—a county-level equivalent—in Connecticut from December 2024 to December 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Mark J. Maggi noted that the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region (+0.9 percent) had the largest over-the-year increase in employment. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest planning regions in Connecticut, December 2025

County	Percent change, December 2025
Southeastern Connecticut	0.9
Capitol	0.4
Western Connecticut	0.3
South Central Connecticut	-0.1
Greater Bridgeport	-0.4
Naugatuck Valley	-1.0

The Capitol Planning Region (537,400) had the highest employment level in Connecticut in December 2025. Together, the six largest planning regions accounted for 88.9 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 372 largest counties and county equivalents (including planning regions) comprise 73.4 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2024.)

All six large Connecticut planning regions reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) South Central Connecticut and Southeastern Connecticut had the largest gains (+8.0 percent each). Over-the-year wage gains among the other four large Connecticut planning regions ranged from 6.7 percent to 2.4 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest planning regions in Connecticut, fourth quarter 2025

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2025
South Central Connecticut	8.0
Southeastern Connecticut	8.0
Greater Bridgeport	6.7
Western Connecticut	5.6
Capitol	3.8
Naugatuck Valley	2.4

Weekly wages in 4 of the 6 largest planning regions in Connecticut were above the national average of $1,569. Average weekly wages ranged from $2,634 in Western Connecticut to $1,471 in Naugatuck Valley.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the three smaller planning regions in Connecticut, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2024. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all smaller planning regions were below the national average. Lower Connecticut River Valley reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,539). Northeastern Connecticut reported the lowest average weekly wage ($1,212) in the state.

Among all nine Connecticut planning regions, three reported average weekly wages of less than $1,500, two had wages from $1,500 to $1,574, two had wages from $1,575 to $1,649, and two had average weekly wages of $1,650 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

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The County Employment and Wages release for the first quarter 2026 is scheduled to be released on Friday, August 28, 2026.