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PantryPath Research · WIC Coverage Atlas

WIC in Connecticut

54.3% coverage

Connecticut's WIC program reaches 54.3% of eligible residents — an estimated 44,000 participants out of 81,000 who qualify. That leaves 37,000 pregnant women, infants, and young children eligible but not receiving WIC's food package or nutrition counseling.

81K

WIC eligibles

44K

Participants (FY2024 avg)

37K

Unserved eligibles

9

Counties

Connecticut by county

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Toggle between estimated WIC eligibles, unserved gap, low-income child counts, and child-poverty share. Hover a county for its exact value.

Note: USDA does not publish sub-state WIC participation, so every county in Connecticut inherits the state's 54.3% coverage rate. County-level eligibles are allocated from state totals in proportion to the county's share of low-income children under 6 (ACS B17024). See methodology.

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Connecticut at a glance

Coverage rate

54.3%

Participants ÷ eligibles

Participation gap

45.7%

1 − coverage

Eligibles

81K

USDA FNS FY2022

Participants

44K

Monthly avg FY2024

Unserved

37K

Eligibles − participants

Kids < 6 low-income

58K

26.9% of universe

County-level hotspots

Top five counties across 9 counties in Connecticut.

Most WIC eligibles

Estimated eligible population

  1. 1 Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut 22K
  2. 2 South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 16K
  3. 3 Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 11K
  4. 4 Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 10K
  5. 5 Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut 9K

Largest unserved gap

Eligibles not receiving WIC

  1. 1 Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut 10K
  2. 2 South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 7K
  3. 3 Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 5K
  4. 4 Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 4K
  5. 5 Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut 4K

Highest child-poverty share

Children < 6 at ≤185% FPL

  1. 1 South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 33.5%
  2. 2 Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut 31.1%
  3. 3 Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 31.1%
  4. 4 Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 29.7%
  5. 5 Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 27.6%

Every county in Connecticut

All 9 counties with WIC eligibility estimates, unserved gap, and ACS child-poverty context.

County Eligibles est. Participants est. Unserved est. Kids < 6 low-income Poverty share
Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut 21,820 11,853 9,967 15,689 26.9%
Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut 9,371 5,090 4,281 6,738 31.1%
Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 2,072 1,126 946 1,490 17.7%
Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut 11,349 6,165 5,184 8,160 29.7%
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 1,987 1,080 907 1,429 27.6%
Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut 2,018 1,096 922 1,451 25.0%
South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 15,755 8,558 7,197 11,328 33.5%
Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 6,886 3,740 3,146 4,951 31.1%
Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut 9,742 5,292 4,450 7,005 17.5%

Apply for WIC in Connecticut

Income limits, food-package rules, clinic locator, and application instructions specific to Connecticut's WIC agency.

Connecticut WIC guide

Families with children

Our population-specific guide: WIC, SNAP, school meals, Summer EBT, and pantry programs for families with kids in Connecticut.

Families guide

Connecticut SNAP

SNAP recipients are automatically income-eligible for WIC through adjunctive eligibility — often the fastest path to enrollment.

Connecticut SNAP guide

Find a food pantry

Search Connecticut's verified pantries — many partner with WIC clinics and distribute infant formula, baby food, and diapers.

Connecticut food pantries

WIC methodology

How we estimated county-level eligibles, why state coverage rates can't be disaggregated, and which data sources we used.

Full methodology