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State Guide5th StateEst. 1788
Connecticut State Flag

Connecticut

"The Constitution State"

One of America's original thirteen colonies and the state whose 1639 Fundamental Orders inspired the U.S. Constitution itself. Small in size but outsized in history, Connecticut built the Navy's submarines, powered the industrial revolution, and produced the compromise that made the United States possible.

5th
State admitted to the Union
3.6M
Population (2025 est.)
5,543
Square miles, 3rd smallest
1639
Year of America's first constitution

About Connecticut

Connecticut is one of the smallest states in the country and one of the most consequential. Wedged between New York and Massachusetts, it punches far above its weight in history, wealth, education, and national influence. The fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, it was already a center of American political thought before the nation itself existed.

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, adopted in 1639, are considered by many historians to be the first written constitution in history, a document that established government by the consent of the governed more than a century before the U.S. Constitution. That legacy of principled self-governance gave Connecticut its nickname and shaped its character ever since.

Today, Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states per capita in the nation. Southwestern Connecticut's Gold Coast is home to hedge funds and corporate headquarters; Hartford anchors the global insurance industry; Groton builds the Navy's nuclear submarines; and New Haven is home to Yale University, one of the world's great research institutions.

Tall ship masts and historic waterfront buildings at Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut

Geography, Four Distinct Regions

Despite its small size, Connecticut contains four remarkably distinct regions, each with its own economy, character, and identity.

A submarine under construction at an Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, with workers on scaffolding in the manufacturing facility

Economy

Connecticut's economy is built on high-value industries , finance, defense, education, and healthcare, that make it one of the wealthiest states per capita in the country.

A country road canopied by brilliant red and gold autumn foliage in rural Connecticut