Posts Tagged ‘New York’

Connecticut works longer to pay off taxes than any other state

Sunday, April 14, 2013 by:Maggie Gordon
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Taxes are due on Monday, which may seem a little early in Connecticut, where the average taxpayer has yet to work enough days or hours to pay off his or her tax bill for the year.

According to the folks at The Tax Foundation, Connecticut residents must work until May 13 this year in order to earn enough money to pay their total tax bill. That day, which the Foundation dubbed “Tax Freedom Day” is later than any other state in the country by an entire week.

The national Tax Freedom Day is on April 18 this year, meaning that the nation on a whole will have earned enough money to pay it total tax bill for this year 25 days before residents in the state of Connecticut are through. Here’s how the Foundation explains why April 18 is the magic day for American taxpayers this year:

In 2013, Americans will pay $2.76 trillion in federal taxes and $1.45 trillion in state taxes, for a total tax bill of $4.22 trillion, or 29.4 percent of income. April 18 is 29.4 percent, or 108 days, into the year.

In Connecticut, May 13 comes 35.4 percent into the year, which is roughly the percentage of income each worker in the Nutmeg State will have to send off for taxes this year.

Want to know who has the earliest Tax Freedom Day in the nation so you can pack your bags? That would be Louisiana and Mississippi, where residents need to work through March 29 to pay their total bill. That’s 45 before we gain our Freedom here in Connecticut.

Sneezy Southwestern Connecticut an American allergy capital

Monday, April 8, 2013 by:Maggie Gordon
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Spring has sprung in Southwestern Connecticut. With temperatures in the 70s this week, it’s finally beginning to feel like the warm weather might stick around for a while. But as the sunny skies shine, bees buzz, birds chirp and buds blossom, you might notice something else going on: Sneezing.

According to a new report by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the Bridgeport area is one of the top 50 “allergy capitals” in America. With an above-average pollen score, average medicine utilization per patient and better than average number of board certified allergists per patient, the Bridgeport-Stamford Metropolitan Statistical Area (which covers the exact same ground as Fairfield County) is going to experience the  No. 48 worst allergy season of all metros in the nation.

It could be worse: We could be Jackson, Mississippi.

With a score of 67.35, the Bridgeport area is about 10 points higher than the national average. Meanwhile, Jackson Mississippi has a score of 100. The southern city moved up from No. 4 last year to unseat Knoxville, Tennessee for the top spot. During the same time period, Bridgeport dropped from No. 36 to No. 48, meaning this year’s pollen season is supposed to be a bit easier handle for those with allergies than last year’s.

According to the AAFA,15 of the top 25 cities are in the South, continuing a longstanding trend.

“Our spring listing usually features cities from the Southeast and deep south, and the No. 1 spot is almost always a southern city,” according to Mike Tringale, AAFA’s Vice President of External Affairs.

But there are still plenty of northern areas on the list, including nearby Springfield  Massachusetts, which jumped from No. 74 spots last year to No. 18. You can see the full ranking here, and check out how other Northeast cities fare here:

Trending: Where Our Neighbors Move To

Friday, March 22, 2013 by:Maggie Gordon
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It’s no secret that Fairfield County is growing more quickly than any other part of the state. But the surge in population is actually happening despite the fact that people are moving out of the area for other parts of the country every day.

Between 2010 and 2012, the county’s population increased by 17,006 people, despite the fact that a net of 3,239 people originally from the area moved out during that period. The overall increase was due in large part to a surge in Latin American populations, which you can read about in this week’s print installment of Trending.

But where are our neighbors going? Here’s a list of the top 15 counties people are choosing to move to when they head out of Fairfield County. On average, a total of 55 people a day left the FC for one of these other communities, including 19 people moving to the No. 1 spot every day.

Did you miss our slideshow on where people are moving to Fairfield County from? Check it out here.

Connecticut is fourth most Catholic state in nation

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 by:Maggie Gordon
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VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 13: White smoke emits from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel as a new Pope is elected on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor - the 266th Pontiff - has been selected by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel has chosen a new pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, who has chosen the name Francis I.

It’s big news in Connecticut, which has the fourth highest percentage of Catholics in the nation, according to data from the Gallup Poll. Check out the Top 10 states where Catholicism is most popular.

Nutmeggers movin’ on out

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 by:Maggie Gordon
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Screenshot of migration patterns from United Van Lines.

Connecticut has the seventh highest percentage of movers shipping out of the state in the nation, according to a recent study released by a moving company.

United Van Lines conducts a survey each year, tracking which states the company’s customers move into and out of over the course of a year, and found that 56 percent of the moves it performed in Connecticut during 2012 were customers movin’ on out.

Most of the cities with the top outbound populations can be found along the east coast, according to the moving company, which noted that “The Northeast is the most well-represented region on the high-outbound traffic list. In addition to New Jersey, New York (58 percent), Maine (56 percent) and Connecticut (56 percent) are also included” on its website.

So who took the cake? Here’s the list of the top five states movers are leaving:

  1. New Jersey – 62.3 percent
  2. Illinois – 59.5 percent
  3. West Virginia – 57.9 percent
  4. New York – 57.7 percent
  5. New Mexico – 57.6 percent

Washington, D.C., had the highest rate of in-migration, where 64 percent of moves were for people moving into the city. Surprisingly, Oregon came in second, with 61 percent of moves commissioned for new state residents.

The company has been conducting this study since 1977, and this year’s analysis included data from more than 125,000 moves, according to United. They defined states as “high inbound” if 55 percent or more of the moves are going into a state and “high outbound” if 55 percent or more moves were coming out of a state or “balanced” if the difference of inbound and outbound is negligible.

While the 56 percent may sound like a lot for Connecticut, the state shouldn’t worry about creating an ad campaign just yet; the 1,991 outbound Nutmmegers represent less than 1/20th of a percent of Connecticut’s population. Read more.

Are you surprised? Or have you seen it happen again and again? Let us know in the comments section below.

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