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Cliff-Zone Families
68,394
Total Wage Suppression
$49.8M
State Avg Cliff Zone
12.0%
The benefits cliff — sometimes called the welfare cliff or cliff effect — occurs when families lose public benefits faster than they can replace them through increased earnings. In Connecticut, an estimated 68,394 families across 9 counties earn between 100–200% of the Federal Poverty Level, where benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, childcare subsidies, and housing assistance phase out. The CLIFF Index measures this exposure at the county level, including peak marginal effective tax rates, wage suppression estimates, and advancement thresholds. Click any county below for the full diagnostic report.
| CountyCounty↕ | PopulationPopulation↕ | Cliff Zone %Cliff Zone %↕ | Families AffectedFamilies↓ | Wage SuppressionWage Gap↕ | Peak METRPeak METR↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Planning Region | 977,290 | 11.5% | 17,408 | $12.7M | 141% |
| South Central Connecticut Planning Region | 570,598 | 13.6% | 12,236 | $8.9M | 141% |
| Western Connecticut Planning Region | 627,071 | 9.7% | 10,147 | $7.4M | 141% |
| Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | 454,969 | 13.4% | 9,456 | $6.9M | 141% |
| Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | 329,259 | 13.4% | 7,518 | $5.5M | 141% |
| Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | 279,971 | 13.5% | 5,557 | $4.0M | 141% |
| Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | 175,822 | 9.4% | 2,344 | $1.7M | 141% |
| Northwest Hills Planning Region | 113,216 | 10.8% | 1,970 | $1.4M | 141% |
| Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | 96,312 | 11.6% | 1,758 | $1.3M | 141% |
9 of 9 counties shown. Click any county for full diagnostic.