Tolland County, Connecticut Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Tolland County
County
The University of Connecticut's main campus, in Storrs.
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Founded	1785
Named for	Tolland, Somerset
Seat	none (since 1960) Tolland (1785-1889) Rockville (1889-1960)
Largest town	Vernon
Area
• Total	417 sq mi (1,080 km²)
• Land	410 sq mi (1,100 km²)
• Water	6.8 sq mi (18 km²) 1.6%%
Population (2020)
• Total	149,788
• Density	359.2/sq mi (138.7/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Tolland County (/ˈtɑːlənd/ TAH-lənd) is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on October 13, 1785, from portions of eastern Hartford County and western Windham County.

The county is included in the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Counties in Connecticut have no governmental function; all legal power is vested in the state, city and town governments. The office of High Sheriff in Connecticut counties was officially abolished by ballot in 2000, and corrections and court services were transferred to the state marshals. Tolland County has the same boundaries as the Tolland Judicial District. On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. Connecticut's eight historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.

Geography
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2010 census
- Demographic breakdown by town
  - Income
  - Race
Communities
- Towns
- Other communities
In popular culture
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 417 square miles (1,080 km²), of which 410 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km²) (1.6%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Connecticut by land area and smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Hartford County - west
New London County - south
Windham County - east
Hampden County, Massachusetts - northwest
Worcester County, Massachusetts - northeast

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	13,251	—
1800	14,319	8.1%
1810	13,779	−3.8%
1820	14,330	4.0%
1830	18,702	30.5%
1840	17,980	−3.9%
1850	20,091	11.7%
1860	20,709	3.1%
1870	22,000	6.2%
1880	24,112	9.6%
1890	25,081	4.0%
1900	24,523	−2.2%
1910	26,459	7.9%
1920	27,216	2.9%
1930	28,659	5.3%
1940	31,866	11.2%
1950	44,709	40.3%
1960	68,737	53.7%
1970	103,440	50.5%
1980	114,823	11.0%
1990	128,699	12.1%
2000	136,364	6.0%
2010	152,691	12.0%
2020	149,788	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

Old Tolland County Jail

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 152,691 people, 54,477 households, and 36,707 families living in the county. The population density was 372.2 inhabitants per square mile (143.7/km²). There were 57,963 housing units at an average density of 141.3 per square mile (54.6/km²). In terms of ethnic/racial background, the 2010 Census found that most of Tolland County's residents were white (89.8%), followed by 3.4% Asian, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.3% of the population. In terms of European ancestry, 22.0% were Irish, 16.8% were Italian, 14.3% were English, 14.2% were German, 10.6% were Polish, 5.6% were French Canadian, while 3.5% of the population identified their ancestry as 'American'.

Of the 54,477 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no spouse, 32.6% were non-families, and 24.2% of all households were made up of one individual. The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.0 people. The median age was 38.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $77,175 and the median income for a family was $91,631. Men had a median income of $62,579 versus $46,818 for women. The per capita income for the county was $33,108. About 3.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Rank	Town		Per capita income	Median household income	Median family income	Population	Number of households
1	Bolton	Town	$42,312	$89,432	$93,472	4,980	1,915
2	Tolland	Town	$41,883	$99,764	$108,564	15,052	5,312
3	Hebron	Town	$39,416	$108,444	$112,894	9,686	3,398
4	Andover	Town	$38,710	$84,274	$96,286	3,303	1,244
5	Ellington	Town	$37,322	$81,582	$95,547	15,602	6,257
6	Columbia	Town	$36,865	$85,893	$102,353	5,485	2,154
7	Somers	Town	$35,134	$98,977	$108,636	11,444	3,328
8	Coventry	Town	$34,524	$86,244	$91,931	12,435	4,783
9	Vernon	Town	$33,160	$61,103	$77,649	29,179	12,976
10	Union	Town	$32,032	$79,911	$84,750	854	334
11	Willington	Town	$29,616	$62,500	$96,422	6,041	2,423
12	Stafford	Town	$28,027	$64,494	$69,789	12,087	4,767
13	Mansfield	Town	$21,579	$65,839	$84,128	26,543	5,586

Race

Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, "Race alone or in combination with one or more other races."

Rank	Town		Population	White	Black	Asian	American Indian	Other	Hispanic
1	Vernon	Town	29,199	88.5%	8.8%	4.0%	0.8%	1.8%	7.1%
2	Mansfield	Town	26,130	84.4%	6.2%	10.7%	0.3%	1.8%	6.3%
3	Ellington	Town	15,394	96.0%	1.6%	2.7%	0.3%	0.2%	1.1%
4	Tolland	Town	14,931	97.2%	1.9%	2.4%	1.5%	0.4%	3.1%
5	Coventry	Town	12,402	97.1%	1.6%	1.7%	0.6%	0.3%	2.1%
6	Stafford	Town	12,055	97.4%	1.2%	1.6%	0.6%	0.9%	3.3%
7	Somers	Town	11,385	85.3%	10.0%	2.8%	0.6%	4.0%	5.8%
8	Hebron	Town	9,620	99.0%	0.0%	1.6%	0.9%	0.5%	2.4%
9	Willington	Town	6,070	98.9%	3.7%	0.2%	0.7%	0.2%	2.4%
10	Columbia	Town	5,449	97.8%	1.9%	1.7%	1.9%	0.4%	2.1%
11	Bolton	Town	5,006	98.0%	2.9%	0.0%	0.9%	0.8%	4.5%
12	Andover	Town	3,143	96.5%	3.0%	1.7%	1.3%	0.0%	0.0%
13	Union	Town	990	99.4%	0.0%	0.7%	1.6%	0.0%	1.3%

Communities

Towns

Other communities

In popular culture

Tolland County is briefly referenced in the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville as the place that the ill-fated African-American shipmate, Pip, comes from.

Tolland County, Connecticut facts for kids

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