The IRS makes data available for returns filed each year. This data can be found at SOI Tax Stats (Statistics of Income). With all the changes in the last few years in tax policy and policies and changes during the pandemic, we wondered what we could learn about income tax returns by examining different standards and itemized deductions for Connecticut. The analysis in this blog post looks at the change between 2019 and 2020.
Read MoreConnecticut’s economy has undoubtedly been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, but data shows that we are recovering as 2021 comes to an end as business starts steadily increase. In this post, we explore and analyze Connecticut business registration data from Connecticut Secretary of the State.
Read MoreAs the Census State Data Center, we have the opportunity to learn about all sorts of census data products that are not widely known. For CTData Conference 2021, we wanted to bring some tools that are relevant for life as it is now, during the pandemic. There have been major floods in Connecticut in some unexpected places. And of course the pandemic has brought suffering that has been unequalled for generations. The products we share with you, the Community Resilience Estimates and the Pulse Surveys, give us ways to understand both the risks in our communities and the impact in the state to these challenges. Click to learn more.
Read MoreNational Invest in Veterans Week is observed from March 1 through March 7 each year and provides an opportunity to celebrate and honor our veterans and their contributions to our community and economy. We put together a blog post with some facts about veterans in Connecticut based on data from the 2019 American Community Survey.
Read MoreThe U.S. Census Bureau is typically associated with the once-a-decade count of the entire population of the United States, but did you know the bureau collects and shares data from over 130 surveys and programs?
Read MoreAs Connecticut businesses begin to open their doors, new business registrations in the state have been steadily rising for the past 12 weeks. When comparing data from 2019 to 2020, new business registrations are higher now than in the same week of 2019. Though most weeks have lagged behind 2019, with Week 12 (the week of March 22, 2020) being the lowest, 2020 registrations began passing 2019 in the past few weeks.
Read MoreDoes your town or your organization need business listings, such as restaurants and hair salons, to assist with Covid-19 state reopening?
CTData can help! Reach out to info@ctdata.org and let us know what you’re looking for.
In the meantime, take a look at Hartford’s lists of barbershops & restaurants which CTData was able to put together using state licensing data, SOTS business registrations, and Yelp.
Read MoreData shouldn’t be confined to a spreadsheet. Don’t get us wrong—we love a good spreadsheet as much as the next data person, but when endless rows and columns of data overwhelms rather than informs, it’s not serving its highest purpose to help improve outcomes and inspire change.
Read MoreWith unemployment rates and claims for unemployment benefits rising, Connecticut businesses are grappling with how to be more agile, moving their work online, and altering business-as-usual to safely return employees to work. The State has developed advisory groups such as Reopen Connecticut Advisory Board and hired consulting firms to understand and plan for the next phase. These efforts assume that employees feel safe returning to work and that businesses have enough reserves to manage through the crisis. Survey results suggest that may not be the case in Connecticut.
Read MoreResearch student loans and the term “crisis” tends to appear in the search results. Student loan debt has been increasing steadily as the cost of education rises in our country, with student loan debt accounting for over $1.5 trillion in 2019 compared to $260 billion in 2004. In fact, 11% of consumer debt is attributed to student loans with the average student loan debt being around $37,000.
Read MoreAs unemployment numbers continue to stun Connecticut with their scale, business registration numbers are also declining. Business starts, which refer to the number of applications received by the Secretary of State’s Office for new business formations, are another way to look at the economic impact.
Read MoreIn the United States, women must work an average of 3 extra months each year to earn the same as men. Equal Pay Day, March 31, 2020, commemorates this wage gap by marking “how far into the year women must additionally work to earn what men earned in the previous year.” In other words, women, on average, must work 15 months to earn the income men earn in 12 months.
Read MoreThis is the second piece of a four-part series about data literacy and critical data consumerism through the lens of economic prosperity. This post focuses on unemployment. You can read Part 1 about income here. We hope that through this series you will be reminded that we must all continue to be curious about the information we are presented with and work to be critical consumers of data in our everyday lives.
Read MoreConnecticut is a state with many facets. At first glance, Connecticut appears well-resourced and prosperous, having long been cited as one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Those of us that work in our local communities know that there is a more nuanced story behind this facade of wealth. Connecticut continues to rank in the top 3 states for the highest income inequality in the nation.
Read MoreToday, the U.S. Census Bureau, released the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (2013-2017). These data are the only data available at the census tract and municipal level for Connecticut. We have created a tool that enables you view changes for: median household income, population estimates, population without health insurance, poverty status, and median rent. (User beware: when comparing data overtime using ACS 5-year estimates, only use non-overlapping time periods.) CTData has over 50 ACS datasets that we process and curate and will be updating these datasets over the next couple weeks.
Read MoreThe IRS has released Migration Data for 2015-2016. These data look at year-to-year address changes reported on individual income tax returns. These data track state and county level in and out flows of tax returns along with providing aggregate Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). A net-migration number for states and counties can be calculated looking at the difference between the inflows and outflows.
Read MoreFor the past few years we have been working with the CT Secretary of State (SOTS) on a variety of initiatives related to the business registration data that they process and manage. This dataset is the official data set of record for tracking businesses that are required to register to operate within Connecticut. However, accessing this data has been historically difficult. The CONCORD system was built and optimized for the important work of managing transactions around business registration and reporting.
Read MoreI recently sat down with Tom Cooke, a Professor in the Department of Geography at UConn, and we discussed general policy issues facing the state and the need for Connecticut focused research that could help guide policymakers. This conversation spawned from several that the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has hosted in regards to the need for an independent non-partisan public policy center in the state.
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