[JViello]

Saw this thread in the main US forum, which had Hartford in the top ten metro's for per capita income. #8 in 2000, #6 in 2009.

Seeing the cities it's listed with, (And the one's it bested!) is in itself pretty impressive. Such an under rated metro in that regard.

//www.city-data.com/forum/gener...h-all-1-a.html

[Stylo]

Doesn't surprise me. CT is the richest state in the country by a lot of measures, and most of the wealthiest areas are either in the NY metro area (Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven counties) or Hartford area.

[JayCT]

I agree, Hartford is underrated. Not only is it wealthy, it is a great area to live in. So much is here or not far. Jay

[MikefromCT]

I wonder how much of this wealth is attributed to the huge influx of transplants from the NYC area and elsewhere. It used to be you had a few people this area relocate to Fairfield or New Haven counties. Now they're everywhere including Hartford County. I realize alot of these people came here for a lower cost of living, but anyone who moves here thinking this is a steal is nuts IMO.

[nep321]

Give me some of that wealth lol. I'm still clamoring for a better quality of life. Anyway, I agree with Jay that greater Hartford is underrated, in terms of national recognition.

[CTbrooktrout]

I'm wondering which job sectors are supporting the high salaries? I know we have a decent insurance/finance sector but compared to Chicago I'd expect them to outshine.

I work in investment finance in Stamford which wasn't too hard to find a job in back office, however I tried searching around Hartford for 6 months before this job and found nothing. Beginner's luck I guess.

Godbless the people who are making it though. Now with some experience under my belt I'm planning to try again in the area and hopefully move there. Fairfield county cost of living is not for me.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by CTbrooktrout

I know we have a decent insurance/finance sector but compared to Chicago I'd expect them to outshine.

Chicago is a much bigger metro area and has a more diverse population. I'd say that Chicago has more extreme high and low income areas. Hartford only really has a select truly poor areas, whereas there are several areas in the Chicago metro area that are below middle class.

Another reason why I don't pay much attention to medians and averages. It rarely tells the whole story.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I wonder how much of this wealth is attributed to the huge influx of transplants from the NYC area and elsewhere. It used to be you had a few people this area relocate to Fairfield or New Haven counties. Now they're everywhere including Hartford County. I realize alot of these people came here for a lower cost of living, but anyone who moves here thinking this is a steal is nuts IMO.

Good question. Honestly, IMO probably not as much as one would think as the percentage of those who move here and still have the same career working remotely etc is most likely a fraction of the small percentage of actual transplants. (What can the percentage of transplants actually be? 10% at most?)

Originally Posted by CTbrooktrout

I'm wondering which job sectors are supporting the high salaries? I know we have a decent insurance/finance sector but compared to Chicago I'd expect them to outshine.

There are a lot more executive level and upper management positions in the Hartford region than many people think. There is a ton of large corporate presence in Hartford and it seems more of the lower scale jobs of said corps are heading to the Southeast, but they are keeping the upper scale holed up here still. Combine that with unionized shops such as Kaman, Pratt, Hamilton etc (Pratt's average salary is 69K) and the public sector workers generally pulling down above average salaries and it all adds up.

Originally Posted by Stylo

Another reason why I don't pay much attention to medians and averages. It rarely tells the whole story.

Actually in this case I think it does. There is a fairly large upper middle class segment in the Hartford metro, and that IMO is what's driving this.

IOW instead of there being a pile of low income folks and 12 billionaires to pump it up, there is actually more middle of the road people here with less extremes.

Either way, looking a the list anyone with eyes has to think something along the lines of "Hartford? Really? What did I miss?"

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

I wonder how much of this wealth is attributed to the huge influx of transplants from the NYC area and elsewhere. It used to be you had a few people this area relocate to Fairfield or New Haven counties. Now they're everywhere including Hartford County. I realize alot of these people came here for a lower cost of living, but anyone who moves here thinking this is a steal is nuts IMO.

I do not think Hartford's wealth is related to New York. Remember it is the home to many major insurance and financial companies as well as UTC and its various companies. Hartford has been on this list for a long time.

As for the area being considered a "steal", for the northeast it is. You are two hours from New York or Bostoneach of these major cities yet the cost of real estate here is much lower. Jay

[nep321]

I think it is a shame that part of the reason the cost of living in greater Hartford is so high is simply because it is within 2 hours of NYC and Boston. Most people living in greater Hartford don't even go to NYC or Boston on a regular basis. Last time I went to NYC was in March. Last time I went to Boston was a year ago. Luckily, the income levels and salaries are somewhat commensurate with the cost of living.