Tolland County, Connecticut

Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 [United States census|2020 census], its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on October 13, 1785, from portions of eastern Hartford County and western Windham County.
The county is included in the Hartford-Hartford, Connecticut|East Hartford]-Middletown, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Counties in Connecticut have no governmental function; all legal power is vested in the state, city and town governments. The office of High Sheriff in Connecticut counties was officially abolished by ballot in 2000, and corrections and court services were transferred to the state marshals. Tolland County has the same boundaries as the Tolland Judicial District. On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. Connecticut's eight historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the second-smallest county in Connecticut by land area and smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Hartford County - west
New London County - south
Windham County - east
Hampden County, Massachusetts - northwest
Worcester County, Massachusetts - northeast
Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 149,788. Of the residents, 17.5% were under the age of 18 and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.6 males. 49.7% of residents lived in urban areas and 50.3% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 82.0% White, 3.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.3% from some other race, and 6.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.5% of the population.
There were 56,894 households in the county, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 60,876 housing units, of which 6.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.3% were owner-occupied and 28.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.0%.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2000	Pop 2010		% 2000	% 2010
White alone	124,014	133,589	120,021	90.94%	87.48%	80.12%
Black or African American alone	3,480	4,701	5,074	2.55%	3.07%	3.38%
Native American or Alaska Native alone	230	218	182	0.16%	0.14%	0.12%
Asian alone	3,069	5,084	8,438	2.25%	3.32%	5.63%
Pacific Islander alone	36	29	44	0.02%	0.01%	0.02%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census\|Other race] alone	162	202	636	0.11%	0.13%	0.42%
Mixed race or Multiracial	1,500	2,266	5,694	1.09%	1.48%	3.80%
Hispanic or Latino	3,873	6,602	9,699	2.84%	4.32%	6.47%
Total	136,364	152,691	149,788	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 152,691 people, 54,477 households, and 36,707 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 57,963 housing units at an average density of. In terms of ethnic/racial background, the 2010 Census found that most of Tolland County's residents were white, followed by 3.4% Asian, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.3% of the population. In terms of European ancestry, 22.0% were Irish, 16.8% were Italian, 14.3% were English, 14.2% were German, 10.6% were Polish, 5.6% were French Canadian, while 3.5% of the population identified their ancestry as 'American'.
Of the 54,477 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no spouse, 32.6% were non-families, and 24.2% of all households were made up of one individual. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.0 people. The median age was 38.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $77,175 and the median income for a family was $91,631. Men had a median income of $62,579 versus $46,818 for women. The per capita income for the county was $33,108. About 3.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the year 2000, there were 136,364 people, 49,431 households, and 34,156 families living in the county. The population density was 332 sq mi. There were 51,570 housing units at an average density of. The ethnic and racial background of the county's population was 92.3% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from another group, and 1.4% multiracial, while 2.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino. Among European-Americans, 14.9% were of Irish, 14.1% Italian, 9.9% English, 8.8% French, 8.2% German, 8.0% Polish and 5.7% French Canadian ancestry. About 9 in 10 spoke English, while 2.9% spoke Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language.
There were 49,431 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females of any age, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 99.5 men.
The median income for a household in the county was $59,044, and the median income for a family was $70,856. Men had a median income of $46,619 versus $34,255 for women. The per capita income for the county was $25,474. About 5.6% of the population and 2.9% of all families earned below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.6% were children, and 5.2% aged 65 or older.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Rank	Town		Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income	Population	Number of households
1	Bolton	Town	$42,312	$89,432	$93,472	4,980	1,915
2	Tolland	Town	$41,883	$99,764	$108,564	15,052	5,312
3	Hebron	Town	$39,416	$108,444	$112,894	9,686	3,398
4	Andover	Town	$38,710	$84,274	$96,286	3,303	1,244
5	Ellington	Town	$37,322	$81,582	$95,547	15,602	6,257
6	Columbia	Town	$36,865	$85,893	$102,353	5,485	2,154
7	Somers	Town	$35,134	$98,977	$108,636	11,444	3,328
8	Coventry	Town	$34,524	$86,244	$91,931	12,435	4,783
9	Vernon	Town	$33,160	$61,103	$77,649	29,179	12,976
10	Union	Town	$32,032	$79,911	$84,750	854	334
11	Willington	Town	$29,616	$62,500	$96,422	6,041	2,423
12	Stafford	Town	$28,027	$64,494	$69,789	12,087	4,767
13	Mansfield	Town	$21,579	$65,839	$84,128	26,543	5,586

Race

Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, "Race alone or in combination with one or more other races."

Rank	Town		Population	White	Black	Asian	American Indian	Other	Hispanic
1	Vernon	Town	29,199	88.5%	8.8%	4.0%	0.8%	1.8%	7.1%
2	Mansfield	Town	26,130	84.4%	6.2%	10.7%	0.3%	1.8%	6.3%
3	Ellington	Town	15,394	96.0%	1.6%	2.7%	0.3%	0.2%	1.1%
4	Tolland	Town	14,931	97.2%	1.9%	2.4%	1.5%	0.4%	3.1%
5	Coventry	Town	12,402	97.1%	1.6%	1.7%	0.6%	0.3%	2.1%
6	Stafford	Town	12,055	97.4%	1.2%	1.6%	0.6%	0.9%	3.3%
7	Somers	Town	11,385	85.3%	10.0%	2.8%	0.6%	4.0%	5.8%
8	Hebron	Town	9,620	99.0%	0.0%	1.6%	0.9%	0.5%	2.4%
9	Willington	Town	6,070	98.9%	3.7%	0.2%	0.7%	0.2%	2.4%
10	Columbia	Town	5,449	97.8%	1.9%	1.7%	1.9%	0.4%	2.1%
11	Bolton	Town	5,006	98.0%	2.9%	0.0%	0.9%	0.8%	4.5%
12	Andover	Town	3,143	96.5%	3.0%	1.7%	1.3%	0.0%	0.0%
13	Union	Town	990	99.4%	0.0%	0.7%	1.6%	0.0%	1.3%

Communities

Towns

For over a century, Tolland County behaved like a typical northern Yankee Republican county in presidential elections, only voting Democratic in 1932, 1936, 1964, and 1968. However, in recent elections, Tolland County has become a Democratic leaning county, following the trend of many other counties in greater New England. This started with Bill Clinton's plurality in the 1992 election and Democrats have won the county in every presidential election since then. That being said, Tolland County has been much friendlier to Republicans in local elections, as Tolland County would still vote Republican in recent gubernatorial elections. In 2022, Governor Ned Lamont became the first Democrat to win Tolland County in a gubernatorial race since 1994.

In popular culture

Tolland County is briefly referenced in the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville as the place that the ill-fated African-American shipmate, Pip, comes from.