Demographics

Figure 13. Population Density Map

The population density map demonstrates several areas of high-density development, especially in the center and eastern center of the community. It is ESCI’s experience that with increased population density, commute times for travelers will increase, as well as fire and emergency medical services travel time to emergency incidents in these areas. Additionally, more vehicles on the roadways will create an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, vehicle fires, and hazardous materials incidents within the county. Where there are more people, there tends to be an increased demand for services as well.

Demographics Education and Income

The population within Southington is well-educated, with 93.7% of the population over 25 years of age reporting to possess a high school diploma or higher, as compared to 90.5% of Connecticut, and 87.7% of the U.S. The number of citizens in the town similarly possess college education at high levels, with 39.5% having a bachelor’s degree, compared to 31.5% of the United States. The following figure depicts the education level of Southington residents over 25 years of age.

Figure 14. Southington Citizen Education Levels

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2015 an adult (age 25+) with a bachelor’s degree earned about 40% more than an adult with just a high school diploma; individuals with a bachelor’s degree were also only half as likely to be unemployed. 3 The higher education levels in Southington are also reflected in the median household income for the town. Southington’s median household income is $99,399 as compared to the median income of Connecticut, which is $76,106, and the median household income within the United States which is $60,293.

Figure 15. Southington Citizen Income Levels

Race and Ethnicity

The majority of the population of Southington remains white (90.6%) and English-speaking (87.0%). Although prevention and information materials written in English will reach most of the population, 3.5% of the community report their primary language as Polish and 2.3% report their primary language as Spanish. Remaining attuned to the needs of citizens with language diversity as well as those who immigrated from other countries (8.7%) where the fire services fail to connect with citizens in similar ways as the U.S. would close gaps in program coverage. State-wide, 16.9% of citizens of Connecticut report as being Hispanic or Latino, offering opportunities to garner ideas from communities with higher levels of Spanish-speaking citizens.

3 https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2020/data-on-display/education-pays.htm

Figure 16. Ethnic Groups of Southington; American Community Survey 2019 Race Percentage or Total

White 90.6% Hispanic or Latino 4.4% Asian 2.8% Black 1.5% Other 0.7%

Health Insurance

Employed citizens have increased access to health insurance, and therefore receive preventative health care at higher levels. In Southington, 2.5% of the citizens do not have access to health insurance, as opposed to 9.5% across the United States. The benefit of health insurance extends to the frequency of pre-hospital emergency medical incidents, as citizens with health insurance use primary health care providers over emergency room facilities at higher levels. The following figure depicts the percentage of residents with health insurance in Southington.

Figure 17. Percentage of Residents in Southington with Health Insurance

Home Ownership

There are 16,902 households in Southington, and 81.9% are owner-occupied. State-wide, owneroccupancy is 66.3%, and nationwide, owners occupy 63.8% of households. The benefit of owneroccupied structures to home values and to local fire departments is the care and maintenance performed on the “investment” . Citizens who are unable to maintain home heating, cooking, electrical, and mechanical systems use local government services, including fire and emergency medical services, at higher percentages than those who regularly upkeep and service these systems.