2008 Map of the Month
Each month CERC features a Map of the Month to illustrate the varied uses of our powerful mapping tool. If you would like to learn more about our GIS services, contact GIS Manager Mike Macionus.
June 2008
CERC is proud to present the 2008 State-by-State Analysis Database. This map represents one category of analysis included in the database for all 50 states and the U.S. as a whole. Other categories of analysis include population, taxes, financial, labor, education, technology, exports, transportation, tourism, social conditions and cost of living.
May 2008
This month's map shows the change in commuting patterns among 24 municipalities between 1990 and 2000, according to data from the U.S. Census. The links between the New Haven area and Waterbury have increased substantially. Stonger connections can also be seen between Stamford, Danbury and Bridgeport. On the other hand, commuter links between New Haven and Bridgeport have lessened along with losses in the greater Hartford area. The Norwich to Groton commuting patterns have also decreased substantially. For additional information on commuting patterns among these 24 municipalities, or for further trend analyses, read Communities, Connecting to Compete.
April 2008
This month's map represents the share of U.S. establishments involved in photonics industries by state. Just under two percent of photonics establishments in the nation are located in Connecticut.
With 20 percent of the nation's photonics establishments, California is the leader among the 50 states, followed by Florida, New York and Texas. The Mountain region as a whole has fewer photonics industries with the exception of Colorado.
For more information on the photonics industry, please read the accompanying research brief.
March 2008
Research is performed every day by many people, which includes investigating an issue until the situation is better understood. Scientific research involves experimentation in order to discover, interpret or revise facts and theories. The research leads to additional knowledge in the subject matter. More info...
February 2008
This month's map looks at relative change along a number of dimensions for each of Connecticut's 169 municipalities. The intent is to examine each town's share and growth in the following areas:
- Population
- Labor force
- Unemployment rate
- Jobs by place of work
- Worksites
- Personal income
- Inbound/outbound commuter ratio
In each case towns were assigned a rank based on their absolute size in 1990 and their growth, defined as change in share, between 1990 and 2005. For example, in the population category Bridgeport ranked 1st based on its absolute size and 168th based on its growth rate. Its rank among all towns, based on the numerical value of these rank scores, placed it in the fourth, or lowest, quartile. It should be noted that towns in the bottom quartile have not necessarily experienced negative growth but rather may be growing more slowly than other towns.
As the map shows, there are certain geographic patterns in these data. Those communities in the top quartile are heavily concentrated in the southwestern quadrant and in affluent shoreline communities east of New Haven. Additionally, towns in the Farmington Valley have done well, as have a few other towns scattered about.
Towns with the slowest growth are found in both rural and urban areas with pronounced pockets of slow growth around the state's three largest cities--Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven.
January 2008
The home sales activity index used in this map shows the total number of sales in the past four quarters through 2007:Q3, based on the stock of houses in the town for 2006. The colors of each town and the height each town is raised above the plain reflect the index.