Bridgeport–Stamford–Danbury is a metropolitan area in the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The area is located in

Southwestern Connecticut The Western Connecticut Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in Connecticut. It is served by the coterminous Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG), one of nine regional councils of governments in Connecticut ...

. In its most conservative form, the area consists of the Metropolitan Connecticut region, including the City of Bridgeport and five surrounding towns— Easton, Fairfield,

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

, Stratford, and Trumbull. This area has a population of more than 305,000. The

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

defines Greater Bridgeport as the

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

- Stamford-

Danbury Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...

metropolitan statistical area. This metropolitan statistical area includes all of

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...

, Connecticut. In 2015, the area had an estimated population of 948,053, and the area is included in the New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area. The combined metropolitan area is the fourth largest in

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

, behind

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

, and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

's. This area includes Connecticut's two largest cities,

and Stamford. As of 2022 the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk-Danbury area has been split into two different Connecticut regions (the state equivalent to counties), the

Western Connecticut The Western Connecticut Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in Connecticut. It is served by the coterminous Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG), one of nine regional councils of governments in Connecticut ...

region (including Stamford, Norwalk and Danbury), and Metropolitan Connecticut (MetroCOG), consisting of the five towns of Greater Bridgeport. The region is home to one of the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the nation.

Definitions

Greater Bridgeport Region

The smallest official definition of Greater Bridgeport is the area under the authority of the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency, which oversees transportation, land use and economic development planning for its member towns. The region consists of the six towns indicated in the introduction.

Bridgeport labor market area

The Bridgeport Labor Market Area includes the core region above and also extends northeast into

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

and the

Lower Naugatuck Valley The Lower Naugatuck Valley, also known locally as simply "The Valley", is a geographic area located around the confluence of the southern parts of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. It consists of the municipalities of Seymour, Derby, Ansonia ...

(including Ansonia,

Beacon Falls Beacon Falls is a town in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and is approximately six miles from Waterbury. It lies in the southwestern part of the state, and is bisect ...

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Seymour Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township ** Seymour railway station * Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria * Se ...

, and

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire * Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire * Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedf ...

) for a total of 13 towns.

Bridgeport-Stamford NECTA

The urbanized areas of Stamford and

are contiguous and considered by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

as a single urban core. The towns containing this merged urbanized area, plus surrounding towns with significant commuter interchange to the central towns, are grouped together as the ''Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk New England City and Town Area''. The area contains 25 towns and includes the Greater Bridgeport Region, the Gold Coast, the

, and the additional outlying towns of

, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Southbury, and

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of **Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

. As of the 2000 census, the population of the NECTA was 892,283 A slightly smaller definition known as the ''Southwest Service Delivery Area'' consists of the Greater Bridgeport Region, the Lower Naugatuck Valley (including Oxford), the Gold Coast, and the town of Milford (20 towns).

Metropolitan statistical area

The MSA associated with Bridgeport is the ''Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury MSA'' and consists of the entirety of

with 23 towns. While statistically similar in terms of population and extent to the NECTA definition, the MSA includes the city of

and its suburbs, and excludes the Valley region.

Economy

The Greater Bridgeport area is home to multiple Fortune 500 companies, including

Emcor EMCOR Group, Inc., headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, provides mechanical and electrical construction, industrial and energy infrastructure, and building services in the United States and the United Kingdom. It has over 100 operating subsidiar ...

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

, and

Booking Holdings Booking Holdings Inc. is an American travel technology company incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law and based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that owns and operates several travel fare aggregators and travel fare metasearch engines inclu ...

in Norwalk,

Charter Communications Charter Communications, Inc., is an American telecommunications and mass media company with services branded as Spectrum. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. With over 32 million customers in 41 states as of 2022, it is the ...

Synchrony Financial Synchrony Financial is an American consumer financial services company with its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. The company offers consumer financing products, including credit, promotional financing and loyalty programs, ...

United Rentals United Rentals, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, with about 16 percent of the North American market share as of 2022. It owns the largest rental fleet in the world with approximately 4,700 classes of equipment totaling about $19.3 bi ...

, and

Frontier Communications Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. is an American telecommunications company. Known as Citizens Utilities Company until 2000, Citizens Communications Company until 2008, and Frontier Communications Corporation until 2020, as a communications pr ...

in Stamford, XPO, Inc. in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

, and the

regional base of

M&T Bank M&T Bank Corporation (Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company) is an American bank holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. It operates 950+ branches in 12 states and Washington D.C. across the Eastern United States, from Maine to Vi ...

(a company based in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

) in

. The coastline portion of the metropolitan area, which is Fairfield County, is known as the Gold Coast, is the densest concentration of wealth in the US, being home to hedge funds, some of the wealthiest towns in the country, commuter

Wall Street Wall Street is a street in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs eight city blocks between Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the west and South Street (Manhattan), South Str ...

executives and wealthy WASP families. The Greater Bridgeport area, particularly Stamford, is home to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

NBC Sports Group NBC Sports Group is a division of NBCUniversal Media Group that is responsible for NBC Sports' media properties, encompassing the NBC television network's sports division as well as day-to-day operation of the company's sports-oriented cable netw ...

, along with their studios,

CBS Sports HQ CBS Sports HQ is a streaming internet television, video sports channel operated by the CBS Sports and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount Global, Paramount focused on airing Sports journalism, sports news, highlights and scores, similar t ...

A&E Networks A&E Television Networks, LLC, doing business as A+E Global Media (formerly A+E Networks) is an American multinational broadcasting company owned and operated as a 50–50 joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company th ...

also has a presence there, all due to Connecticut tax incentives.

Blue Sky Studios Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American visual effects and computer animation animation studio, studio, which was active from 1987 to 2021. It was based in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was founded on February 22, 1987, by Chris Wedge, Michael F ...

was based in

until being closed by Disney in 2022. ''Maury'', ''Jerry Springer'' and ''

The Steve Wilkos Show ''The Steve Wilkos Show'' is a syndicated American tabloid talk show hosted by Steve Wilkos. The series is a spin-off of the ''Jerry Springer'' show, where Wilkos was employed as head of security. ''The Steve Wilkos Show'' debuted on Septemb ...

'' are also shot in downtown Stamford. Many towns in the area were once home to heavy industry, and Bridgeport was the state's chief manufacturing city by output and value of goods. Despite a corporate exodus due to

deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...

, (including the

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

factory and the Columbia Pictures Processing Plant) nearby Stratford continues to be home to

Sikorsky Aircraft Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by the Russian-American aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923, and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian ...

and

home to

Hubbell Incorporated Hubbell Incorporated, headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, is an American company that designs, manufactures, and sells electrical and electronic products for non-residential and residential construction, industrial, and utility applications. ...

. Other major well known companies in the area not listed previously include: *

GXO Logistics GXO Logistics, Inc. is an American global contract logistics company that manages outsourced supply chains and warehousing, and reverse logistics for blue-chip customers in over thirty countries. GXO's corporate headquarters are located in Greenw ...

(Greenwich) *

GE Capital GE Capital was the financial services division of General Electric. Its various units were sold between 2013 and 2021, including the notable spin-off of the North American consumer finance division as Synchrony Financial. Ultimately, only one div ...

(Norwalk) *

GE Energy Financial Services GE Energy Financial Services (EFS), a division of GE Vernova headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States, provides financial and technological investment in energy infrastructure projects around the world. EFS is active within industrie ...

(Stamford) *

Pitney Bowes Pitney Bowes Inc. is an American technology company most known for its postage meters and other mailing equipment, services, and other technologies. The company was founded by Arthur Pitney, who invented the first commercially available postage m ...

(Stamford) * Indeed.com (Stamford) *

ITT Inc. ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

(Stamford) *

Conair Corporation Conair Corporation is an American company based in Stamford, Connecticut which sells small appliances, personal care products, and health and beauty products for both professionals and consumers. It is majority-owned by private equity firm Am ...

(Stamford) *

BlueTriton Brands BlueTriton Brands, Inc. is an American Drink, beverage company based in Stamford, Connecticut. A former subsidiary of Nestlé, it was known between 2002 and 2021 as Nestlé Waters North America, Inc. and operated as the North American business un ...

(formally Nestle Waters North America) *

GTE GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. The company operated from 1926, with roots tracing furth ...

(Stamford) *

Gartner Gartner, Inc. is an American research and advisory firm focusing on business and technology topics. Gartner provides its products and services through research reports, conferences, and consulting. Its clients include large corporations, gover ...

(Stamford) *

Kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

(Stamford) *

Point72 Asset Management Point72 Asset Management is an American hedge fund. It was founded in 2014 by Steve Cohen, after his previous company S.A.C. Capital Advisors pled guilty to insider trading charges. In 2018, the company reopened to external investors after a t ...

(Stamford) * Vineyard Vines (Stamford) *

Bigelow Tea Company R.C. Bigelow, Inc. (also known as the Bigelow Tea Company) is an American manufacturer of dried teas based in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by Ruth C. Bigelow in 1945, based on a recipe she marketed as "Constant Comment" tea. The compan ...

(Fairfield) *

GE Wind Energy GE Wind is a division of GE Vernova. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2018, GE Wind was the fourth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. Vic Abate is the CEO of GE Vernova’s Wind busines ...

(Fairfield) *

Vinegar Syndrome Vinegar Syndrome is an American home video distribution company which specializes in "protecting and preserving genre films". The company was founded in 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Joe Rubin and Ryan Emerson, who created it to restore ...

(Bridgeport) * Subway (Milford) *

CTI Electronics Corporation CTI Electronics Corporation is a manufacturer of industrial computer peripherals such as rugged keyboards, pointing devices, motion controllers, analog joysticks, USB keypads and many other industrial, military, medical, or aerospace grade input ...

(Stratford) * Ethan Allen Furniture (Danbury) *

Duracell Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, and rechargeables; it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 2016. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben a ...

(Bethel) *

Bow Tie Cinemas BTM Cinemas (formerly known as Bow Tie Cinemas) is an American movie theater chain, with eight locations in Colorado, New York, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. It is the oldest surviving movie exhibition company in the United States, having ...

(Ridgefield) *

GE Commercial Finance GE Commercial Finance was a unit of GE Capital, (one of five major operating divisions of General Electric). Headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, it plays a role in over 35 countries and had assets of over US$335 billion at year e ...

(Norwalk) *

Photronics Inc Photronics, Inc. is an American semiconductor photomask A photomask (also simply called a mask) is an opaque plate with transparent areas that allow light to shine through in a defined pattern. Photomasks are commonly used in photolithography f ...

(Brookfield)

Transportation

Commuter rail is served by the

Metro-North railroad The Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company , also branded as MTA Metro-North Railroad and commonly called simply Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a New York State publ ...

of the MTA, which connects the

suburbs to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, with the New Haven line passing through every station along the coast. The New Canaan Line and the Waterbury Line connect northern Fairfield County and the

Naugatuck Valley The Naugatuck Valley Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in Connecticut. It is served by the coterminous Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG). In 2022, planning regions were approved to replace Connecticut's c ...

to New York City. The Bridgeport and Stamford stations are also served by Shore Line East and Amtrak rail service. The metropolitan area is served by multiple different bus operators for public transit. The

Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) is a Mass transit, transit service serving the Greater Bridgeport region of the U.S. state of Connecticut. Greater Bridgeport Transit was established in 1971 in anticipation of diminished bus service by the Connec ...

operates from downtown near the train station and serves Bridgeport and the surrounding towns of Trumbull, Stratford, Milford, Westport, Fairfield, Shelton and Monroe, which works in conjunction with the Norwalk and Milford Transit. GBT Costal Link buses connect in Norwalk to the

Norwalk Transit District The Norwalk Transit District (NTD) is the primary provider of public transportation services in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, and surrounding communities. The local Norwalk fixed-route bus rapid transit, bus transit system, is the primary ...

, which takes riders are far north as Danbury and west as Greenwich.

CT Transit CT Transit (styled as CT''transit'') is a public transportation bus system serving many metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs in the state of Connecticut. CT Transit is a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, alth ...

operates a division in Stamford, which includes Greenwich, Darian, New Canaan, and Port Chester, NY. The region is currently served mainly by Bradley and New York City airports, with the regional airports nearby including

Westchester County Airport Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, northeast of downtown White Plains, New York, White Plains, with territory in the Town (New Y ...

(in White Plains, NY) and Tweed Airport (in New Haven), both more than a half hour away. Talks about commercial services returning to

Sikorsky Memorial Airport Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport is a public airport in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, owned by the city of Bridgeport. It is three miles (6 km) southeast of downtown, in the town of Stratford. It was formerly Bridgeport M ...

have been going on for years. Built in the 1920s on Avon Field, located in Stratford and previously owned by the City of Bridgeport (until bought by the

Connecticut Airport Authority Connecticut Airport Authority is a quasi-public agency established in 2011 to develop, improve, and operate Bradley International Airport and the five state-owned general aviation airports ( Danielson Airport, Groton–New London Airport, Hartfo ...

), the airport ceased commercial flights in 1999, along with the demolition of the passenger terminal.

Higher education

Universities and full-time colleges

Western Connecticut State University Western Connecticut State University (WCSU and WestConn) is a public university in Danbury, Connecticut. It was founded in 1903 as a teacher's college and is part of the Connecticut State University System. WCSU consists of four schools: the A ...

in Danbury, founded 1903 *

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin Unive ...

in Bridgeport, founded 1927 *

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 gra ...

in Fairfield, founded 1942 *

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Roman Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1963 by Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholi ...

in Fairfield, founded 1963 * The

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

in Storrs has a secondary campus in Stamford, as does Sacred Heart University.

Community colleges

Housatonic Community College Housatonic Community College (HCC) was a public community college in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It part of the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. HCC grants associate degrees and also has certificate programs. In July 2023, it bec ...

in Bridgeport *Norwalk Community College in Norwalk

Definitions

Greater Bridgeport Region

Bridgeport labor market area

Bridgeport-Stamford NECTA

Metropolitan statistical area

Economy

Transportation

Higher education

Universities and full-time colleges

Community colleges

References

See also