Historical U.S. Census Totals for Litchfield County, Connecticut

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Litchfield County, Connecticut, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Like most areas of New England, Litchfield County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory. There are three types of municipalities in Connecticut: towns, boroughs and cities. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government.

Boroughs overlay towns and assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries. Boroughs are not found in any of the other New England states, and are not very common in Connecticut today, although they were somewhat more numerous in the past. A number of boroughs have disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert back to full town control. Cities also overlay towns. This is different from the other New England states, where cities are a different type of municipality equivalent to a town (this difference is related to cities having originally developed in Connecticut from the borough model). Most current cities are coextensive with their parent town, however, such that the entire municipality functions as a city. In practice, these cities are really no different from cities in the other New England states.

It is also possible for a city in Connecticut to overlay part, but not all, of a town. There are currently only one or two examples, but it was a more common arrangement in the past. Many of today’s coextensive cities were non-coextensive at one time. As with boroughs, a number of non-coextensive cities have also disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert back to full town control.

The main tables below show municipalities at the town level. For any census, adding up the totals for each town should yield the county total. In cases where a community encompassed a coextensive city, the tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series mark the community as a city. In cases where a town included a non-coextensive city, the total shown below represents the entire town, including but not limited to the city. A separate section follows with population totals for boroughs and non-coextensive cities. For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

*1923 – Torrington became a coextensive city (Note: there had not previously been a city of Torrington within the town, although there had been a borough of Torrington)

1900

County Total: 63,672

*Torrington 12,453
*Winchester 7,763
*New Milford 4,804
*Salisbury 3,489
*New Hartford 3,424
*Thomaston 3,300
*Litchfield 3,214
*Watertown 3,100
*Plymouth 2,828
*Woodbury 1,988
*Sharon 1,982
*Washington 1,820
*North Canaan 1,803
*Norfolk 1,614
*Kent 1,220
*Harwinton 1,213
*Cornwall 1,175
*Roxbury 1,087
*Barkhamsted 864
*Goshen 835
*Canaan 820
*Colebrook 684
*Bridgewater 649
*Bethlehem 576
*Morris 535
*Warren 432

1910

County Total: 70,260

*Torrington 16,840
*Winchester 8,679
*Plymouth 5,021
*New Milford 5,010
*Watertown 3,850
*Thomaston 3,533
*Salisbury 3,522
*Litchfield 3,005
*North Canaan 2,171
*New Hartford 2,144
*Sharon 1,880
*Woodbury 1,860
*Washington 1,747
*Norfolk 1,541
*Harwinton 1,440
*Kent 1,122
*Cornwall 1,016
*Barkhamsted 865
*Roxbury 837
*Canaan 702
*Morris 681
*Goshen 675
*Bridgewater 600
*Colebrook 557
*Bethlehem 550
*Warren 412

1920

County Total: 76,262

*Torrington 22,055
*Winchester 9,019
*Watertown 6,050
*Plymouth 5,942
*New Milford 4,781
*Thomaston 3,993
*Litchfield 3,180
*Salisbury 2,497
*Harwinton 2,020
*North Canaan 1,933
*New Hartford 1,781
*Woodbury 1,698
*Washington 1,619
*Sharon 1,585
*Norfolk 1,229
*Kent 1,086
*Cornwall 834
*Barkhamsted 719
*Goshen 675
*Roxbury 647
*Canaan 561
*Bethlehem 536
*Morris 499
*Colebrook 492
*Bridgewater 481
*Warren 350

1930

County Total: 82,556

*Torrington (city) 26,040
*Winchester 8,674
*Watertown 8,192
*Plymouth 6,070
*New Milford 4,700
*Thomaston 4,188
*Litchfield 3,574
*Salisbury 2,767
*North Canaan 2,287
*New Hartford 1,834
*Washington 1,775
*Woodbury 1,744
*Sharon 1,710
*Norfolk 1,298
*Kent 1,054
*Harwinton 949
*Cornwall 878
*Barkhamsted 697
*Goshen 683
*Canaan 565
*Colebrook 564
*Roxbury 553
*Bethlehem 544
*Morris 481
*Bridgewater 432
*Warren 303

1940

County Total: 87,041

*Torrington (city) 26,988
*Watertown 8,787
*Winchester 8,482
*Plymouth 6,043
*New Milford 5,559
*Thomaston 4,238
*Litchfield 4,029
*Salisbury 3,030
*North Canaan 2,304
*Washington 2,089
*Woodbury 1,998
*New Hartford 1,836
*Sharon 1,611
*Norfolk 1,333
*Kent 1,245
*Harwinton 1,112
*Cornwall 907
*Goshen 778
*Barkhamsted 724
*Bethlehem 715
*Roxbury 660
*Morris 606
*Canaan 555
*Colebrook 547
*Bridgewater 537
*Warren 328

1950

County Total: 98,872

*Torrington (city) 27,820
*Watertown 10,699
*Winchester 10,535
*Plymouth 6,771
*New Milford 5,799
*Litchfield 4,964
*Thomaston 4,896
*Salisbury 3,132
*North Canaan 2,647
*Woodbury 2,564
*New Hartford 2,395
*Washington 2,227
*Sharon 1,889
*Harwinton 1,858
*Norfolk 1,572
*Kent 1,392
*Bethlehem 1,015
*Barkhamsted 946
*Goshen 940
*Cornwall 896
*Morris 799
*Roxbury 740
*Canaan 708
*Bridgewater 639
*Colebrook 592
*Warren 437

1960

County Total: 119,856

*Torrington (city) 30,045
*Watertown 14,837
*Winchester 10,496
*Plymouth 8,981
*New Milford 8,318
*Litchfield 6,264
*Thomaston 5,850
*Woodbury 3,910
*Harwinton 3,344
*Salisbury 3,309
*New Hartford 3,033
*North Canaan 2,836
*Washington 2,603
*Sharon 2,141
*Norfolk 1,827
*Kent 1,686
*Bethlehem 1,486
*Barkhamsted 1,370
*Goshen 1,288
*Morris 1,190
*Cornwall 1,051
*Roxbury 912
*Bridgewater 898
*Colebrook 791
*Canaan 790
*Warren 600

1970

County Total: 144,091

*Torrington (city) 31,952
*Watertown 18,610
*New Milford 14,601
*Winchester 11,106
*Plymouth 10,321
*Litchfield 7,399
*Thomaston 6,233
*Woodbury 5,869
*Harwinton 4,318
*New Hartford 3,970
*Salisbury 3,573
*Washington 3,121
*North Canaan 3,045
*Sharon 2,491
*Norfolk 2,073
*Barkhamsted 2,066
*Kent 1,990
*Bethlehem 1,923
*Morris 1,609
*Goshen 1,351
*Bridgewater 1,277
*Roxbury 1,238
*Cornwall 1,177
*Colebrook 1,020
*Canaan 931
*Warren 827

1980

County Total: 156,769

*Torrington (city) 30,987
*Watertown 19,489
*New Milford 19,420
*Winchester 10,841
*Plymouth 10,732
*Litchfield 7,605
*Woodbury 6,942
*Thomaston 6,276
*Harwinton 4,889
*New Hartford 4,884
*Salisbury 3,896
*Washington 3,657
*North Canaan 3,185
*Barkhamsted 2,935
*Sharon 2,623
*Bethlehem 2,573
*Kent 2,505
*Norfolk 2,156
*Morris 1,899
*Goshen 1,706
*Bridgewater 1,563
*Roxbury 1,468
*Cornwall 1,288
*Colebrook 1,221
*Warren 1,027
*Canaan 1,002

1990

County Total: 174,092

*Torrington (city) 33,687
*New Milford 23,629
*Watertown 20,456
*Plymouth 11,822
*Winchester 11,524
*Litchfield 8,365
*Woodbury 8,131
*Thomaston 6,947
*New Hartford 5,769
*Harwinton 5,228
*Salisbury 4,090
*Washington 3,905
*Barkhamsted 3,369
*North Canaan 3,284
*Bethlehem 3,071
*Sharon 2,928
*Kent 2,918
*Goshen 2,329
*Norfolk 2,060
*Morris 2,039
*Roxbury 1,825
*Bridgewater 1,654
*Cornwall 1,414
*Colebrook 1,365
*Warren 1,226
*Canaan 1,057

2000

County Total: 182,212

*Torrington (city) 35,202
*New Milford 27,098
*Watertown 21,661
*Plymouth 11,634
*Winchester 10,664
*Woodbury 9,196
*Litchfield 8,316
*Thomaston 7,503
*New Hartford 6,088
*Harwinton 5,283
*Salisbury 3,977
*Washington 3,639
*Barkhamsted 3,494
*Bethlehem 3,422
*North Canaan 3,350
*Sharon 2,968
*Kent 2,858
*Goshen 2,697
*Morris 2,301
*Roxbury 2,137
*Bridgewater 1,824
*Norfolk 1,660
*Colebrook 1,471
*Cornwall 1,434
*Warren 1,254
*Canaan 1,081

Boroughs and Non-coextensive Cities

As of 1900, Litchfield County contained three boroughs:

*The borough of Litchfield, within the town of the same name

*The borough of Torrington, within the town of the same name

*The borough of Winsted, within the town of Winchester

A fourth borough, Bantam (within the town of Litchfield), was incorporated in 1915. The following changes have occurred since then:

*1917 – The borough of Winsted became a city

*1923 – The borough of Torrington became a city, and was made coextensive with its parent town

*The city of Winsted was apparently removed from the rolls of Census-recognized incorporated cities sometime between 1970 and 1980. Since 1915, Winsted's government has been consolidated with that of the town of Winchester, with designated town officials also holding city of Winsted offices. Although the city of Winsted technically remains in existence, the Census Bureau seems to have decided at that point to stop recognizing it as an incorporated place, presumably either because it does not really maintain a separate, active existence from the town of Winchester, or because the nature of its relationship with the town of Winchester makes it more of a special-purpose district than a general-purpose municipality.

1900

*Torrington (borough) 8,360
*Winsted (borough) 6,804
*Litchfield (borough) 1,120

1910

*Torrington (borough) 15,483
*Winsted (borough) 7,754
*Litchfield (borough) 903

1920

*Torrington (borough) 20,623
*Winsted (city) 8,248
*Litchfield (borough) 707
*Bantam (borough) 608

1930

*Winsted (city) 7,883
*Litchfield (borough) 1,075
*Bantam (borough) 545

1940

*Winsted (city) 7,674
*Litchfield (borough) 1,234
*Bantam (borough) 564

1950

*Winsted (city) 8,781
*Litchfield (borough) 1,174
*Bantam (borough) 940

1960

*Winsted (city) 8,136
*Litchfield (borough) 1,363
*Bantam (borough) 833

1970

*Winsted (city) 8,954
*Litchfield (borough) 1,559
*Bantam (borough) 881

1980

*Litchfield (borough) 1,489
*Bantam (borough) 860

1990

*Litchfield (borough) 1,378
*Bantam (borough) 757

2000

*Litchfield (borough) 1,328
*Bantam (borough) 802

Notes

2000 Census

The Census Bureau made a number of revisions to 2000 census totals subsequent to their initial release. The 2000 total for the Litchfield County was originally reported as 182,193; for the town of New Milford, 27,121; for the town of Woodbury, 9,198; for the town of Washington, 3,596; and for the town of Roxbury, 2,136. The totals were later revised to those shown in the list above.

ee also

*United States Census
*Litchfield County, Connecticut