These Are The 10 Worst Places In Connecticut To Get A Job

Top 10 Challenging Cities for Job Seekers in Connecticut (2026)

At Zippia, we are dedicated to exploring the job landscape across the United States to identify the most and least favorable places to find employment.

In this article, we focus on the cities in Connecticut that pose significant challenges for job seekers in 2026, following our recent analysis of the best job markets in the state.

These locations have not demonstrated the resilience or growth potential needed to thrive in today’s competitive job market.

After analyzing data from the 100 largest cities in Connecticut, we have identified the ten most challenging cities for job seekers:

Continue reading to discover how we arrived at these conclusions.

For more insights about Connecticut’s job market, check out:

Methodology for Identifying Job Market Challenges in Connecticut

Our analysis utilized data from cities in Connecticut with populations exceeding 5,000, resulting in a focus on the 100 largest urban areas.

We ranked each city based on various criteria, with 1 representing the most challenging position in a given category.

Finally, we calculated the average ranking across all criteria, with the city achieving the lowest overall score designated as the “Most Challenging City for Job Seekers in Connecticut.”

The criteria we considered include:

1. New London

Population: 27,613
Recent Job Growth: -1.27%
Future Job Growth: 29.00%

2. Waterbury

Population: 110,074
Recent Job Growth: 0.41%
Future Job Growth: 29.50%

3. Windham

Population: 25,178
Recent Job Growth: -1.01%
Future Job Growth: 29.50%

4. Hartford

Population: 124,879
Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 29.20%

5. Norwich

Population: 40,322
Recent Job Growth: -1.27%
Future Job Growth: 29.50%

6. New Britain

Population: 73,122
Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 32.30%

7. Griswold

Population: 11,907
Recent Job Growth: -1.26%
Future Job Growth: 29.80%

8. Torrington

Population: 36,239
Recent Job Growth: 0.41%
Future Job Growth: 33.30%

9. East Hartford

Population: 51,171
Recent Job Growth: 0.79%
Future Job Growth: 33.20%

10. Willimantic

Population: 17,281
Recent Job Growth: 0.48%
Future Job Growth: 33.60%

Conclusion

Based on our findings, New London is identified as the most challenging city for job seekers in Connecticut as of 2026.

While the state’s economy is gradually improving and new job opportunities are emerging, these cities face significant hurdles to attract and retain talent. With persistent efforts, we hope these areas can catch up and offer better prospects for employment in the near future.

Complete List of Challenging Cities for Job Seekers in Connecticut

City	Rank	Population	Recent Job Growth	Future Job Growth
New London	1	27,613	-1.27%	29.00%
Waterbury	2	110,074	0.41%	29.50%
Windham	3	25,178	-1.01%	29.50%
Hartford	4	124,879	0.79%	29.20%
Norwich	5	40,322	-1.27%	29.50%
New Britain	6	73,122	0.79%	32.30%
Griswold	7	11,907	-1.26%	29.80%
Torrington	8	36,239	0.41%	33.30%
East Hartford	9	51,171	0.79%	33.20%
Willimantic	10	17,281	0.48%	33.60%

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Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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