Historical United States Census totals for Fairfield County, Connecticut

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Fairfield County, Connecticut, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Like most areas of New England, Fairfield County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory.

There are three types of municipalities in Connecticut: towns, boroughs and cities. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government.

Boroughs overlay towns and assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries. Boroughs are not found in any of the other New England states, and are not very common in Connecticut today, although they were somewhat more numerous in the past. A number of boroughs have disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.

Cities also overlay towns. This is different from the other New England states, where cities are a different type of municipality equivalent to a town (this difference is related to cities having originally developed in Connecticut from the borough model). Most current cities are coextensive with their parent town, however, such that the entire municipality functions as a city. In practice, these cities are really no different from cities in the other New England states.

It is also possible for a city in Connecticut to overlay part, but not all, of a town. There are currently only one or two examples, but it was a more common arrangement in the past. Many of today’s coextensive cities were non-coextensive at one time. As with boroughs, a number of non-coextensive cities have also disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.

The main tables below show municipalities at the town level. For any census, adding up the totals for each town should yield the county total. In cases where a community encompassed a coextensive city, the tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series mark the community as a city. In cases where a town included a non-coextensive city, the total shown below represents the entire town, including but not limited to the city. A separate section follows with population totals for boroughs and non-coextensive cities.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

1900

County Total: 184,203

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes one or more non-coextensive cities that encompass a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1910

County Total: 245,322

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes one or more non-coextensive cities that encompass a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1920

County Total: 320,936

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1930

County Total: 386,702

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1940

County Total: 418,384

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1950

County Total: 504,342

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1960

County Total: 653,589

(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.

1970

County Total: 792,814

1980

County Total: 807,143

1990

County Total: 827,645

2000

County Total: 882,567

Boroughs and Non-coextensive Cities

As of 1900, Fairfield County contained five boroughs and four non-coextensive cities:

In addition to the above, there was a fifth city, Bridgeport, which had already been made coextensive with its parent town. A sixth borough, Ridgefield (within the town of the same name), was incorporated in 1901. The following changes have occurred since then:

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

Notes

1970 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 1970 census totals subsequent to their initial release. The 1970 total for the city of Norwalk was originally reported as 79,113; for the town of Westport, 27,414; for the town of Darien, 20,411; and for the town of New Canaan, 17,455. The totals were later revised to those shown in the list above. This was apparently done to correct an assignment error between these municipalities; the collective population of the four is the same using either set of figures, so the county total was not affected.

1980 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 1980 census totals subsequent to their initial release. The 1970 total for the city of Stamford was originally reported as 102,453; and for the town of Greenwich, 59,578. The totals were later revised to those shown in the list above. This was apparently done to correct an assignment error between these municipalities; the collective population of the two is the same using either set of figures, so the county total was not affected.

See also

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