BusinessWeek Logo
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

Overall rank: 35

Hartford, the state capital, is also known as "the Insurance Capital of the World." It is home to Aetna, the Hartford, Travelers, and other insurance companies. Employment in the Hartford metro peaked in the first quarter of last year. Gross metropolitan product in the second quarter was down 4.8% from the peak in the third quarter of last year. Home prices fell 1.2% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. And the unemployment rate in June was 8.1%, up 2.3 points from a year earlier. (Please see below for the various criteria used by the Brookings Institution to determine the overall ranking.)

Job growth (since peak) rank: 41
Gross Metro Product (since peak) rank: 64
Unemployment change (year over year) rank: 8
Home price change (year over year) rank: 53