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Hartford's Economy Grew In 2009

Mara Lee

February 24, 2011

In the worst year of the recession, when the size of U.S. cities' economies fell by $2 trillion, the Hartford-area economy was one of only 8 in the top 50 that grew.

Hartford's gross domestic product — the combination of the salaries earned here, the products sold from here, and the investments in infrastructure made here — went from $78.7 billion in 2008 to $79.4 billion in 2009, a gain of $678 million.

For the first time in 10 years, the size of the Hartford economy overtook the size of the Fairfield County economy. Hartford was ranked 36th, and the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area was ranked 37th. The previous year, Bridgeport had been 35th, and Hartford had been 40th.

Fairfield County's GDP fell by $2.3 billion in 2009.

But the strength of Hartford's growth pales compared to the region just above it in the rankings, the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. That region's output grew by $1.3 billion in 2009.

Although 60 to 70 percent of a region's GDP is the salaries paid to the workers who live there, this measure diverged dramatically from employment trends that year. Employment fell swiftly in Connecticut in 2009.