Connecticut's Economy: Slow and Steady in 2025

0:00It's April 9th. Hartford News Today starts now, AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. Connecticut's economy hit the brakes hard in the fourth quarter of 2025, growing just 0.5% annually, right in line, with the national pace. That's a big slowdown from the third quarter's 5.6% surge, which had the state-ranking fourth nationwide while the U.S. clocked 4.4%. For the full year, Connecticut's growth came in at 2.4%, landing 12th among all states. Nationwide, 35 states saw gains, from North Dakota's 3.8% high to an 8.3% drop in the district of. Columbia. Key drivers included private sectors like information, wholesale trade, health care, and durable goods manufacturing, which offset losses in, non-derables, but finance, insurance, transportation, and food services took hits. Personal income rose 3.8% in the quarter, beating the prior period's 2.9% and topping

1:01the U.S., 3.4%. The job market cooled overall in 2025, adding only 1200 net jobs as the labor force shrink by nearly 12,000. Then January flipped the script with 5,300 new jobs, hitting record employment even as unemployment ticked to 4.5%. It officials call it slow and steady, with hiring, holding firm amid uncertainty, keeping Connecticut's economy chugging along without major drama.