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Bars in Connecticut

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 7 Connecticut counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 34% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Connecticut

Bars

140

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.3

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

34%

vs. U.S.

Residents

3,416,332

in covered counties

Workers

1,405,318

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 7 Connecticut counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Connecticut

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
New Haven	South Central Connecticut Planning Region	45–85	570,734	263,302	0.6	64–112%	Range spans bands
Shelton	Naugatuck Valley Planning Region	26–78	455,072	143,457	0.5	49–124%	Range spans bands
Middletown	Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region	10–54	175,257	65,999	0.5	48–257%	Range spans bands
Groton	Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region	13–73	281,250	99,940	0.4	39–201%	Range spans bands
Farmington	Capitol Planning Region	28–206	977,746	442,961	0.2	23–126%	Range spans bands
Stamford	Western Connecticut Planning Region	15–105	627,079	283,277	0.2	19–99%	Range spans bands
Stratford	Greater Bridgeport Planning Region	3–37	329,194	106,382	0.1	8–75%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

64%

49%

48%

39%

23%

19%

Most competitors per capita

19%

23%

39%

48%

49%

64%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.