Historical United States Census totals for Windham County, Connecticut
This article shows U.S. Census totals for Windham County, Connecticut, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.
Like most areas of New England, Windham County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory.
There are three types of municipalities in Connecticut: towns, boroughs and cities. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government.
Boroughs overlay towns and assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries. Boroughs are not found in any of the other New England states, and are not very common in Connecticut today, although they were somewhat more numerous in the past. A number of boroughs have disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.
Cities also overlay towns. This is different from the other New England states, where cities are a different type of municipality equivalent to a town (this difference is related to cities having originally developed in Connecticut from the borough model). Most current cities are coextensive with their parent town, however, such that the entire municipality functions as a city. In practice, these cities are really no different from cities in the other New England states.
It is also possible for a city in Connecticut to overlay part, but not all, of a town. There are currently only one or two examples, but it was a more common arrangement in the past. Many of today’s coextensive cities were non-coextensive at one time. As with boroughs, a number of non-coextensive cities have also disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.
The main tables below show municipalities at the town level. For any census, adding up the totals for each municipality should yield the county total. In cases where a community encompassed a coextensive city, the tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series mark the community as a city; however, there have never been any coextensive cities in Windham County. In cases where a town included a non-coextensive city, the total shown below represents the entire town, including but not limited to the city. A separate section follows with population totals for boroughs and non-coextensive cities.
For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.
Corporate changes since 1900
There have been no changes in Windham County’s town-level municipality roster since 1900.
1900
County Total: 46,861
- Windham 10,137
- Putnam 7,348
- Killingly 6,835
- Thompson 6,442
- Plainfield 4,821
- Brooklyn 2,358
- Woodstock 2,095
- Pomfret 1,831
- Sterling 1,209
- Canterbury 876
- Ashford 757
- Hampton 629
- Chaplin 529
- Eastford 523
- Scotland 471
1910
County Total: 48,361
- Windham 12,604
- Putnam 7,280
- Plainfield 6,719
- Killingly 6,564
- Thompson 4,804
- Brooklyn 1,858
- Pomfret 1,857
- Woodstock 1,849
- Sterling 1,283
- Canterbury 868
- Ashford 668
- Hampton 583
- Eastford 513
- Scotland 476
- Chaplin 435
1920
County Total: 52,815
- Windham 13,801
- Putnam 8,397
- Killingly 8,178
- Plainfield 7,926
- Thompson 5,055
- Brooklyn 1,655
- Woodstock 1,767
- Pomfret 1,454
- Sterling 1,266
- Canterbury 896
- Ashford 673
- Eastford 496
- Hampton 475
- Scotland 391
- Chaplin 385
1930
County Total: 54,086
- Windham 13,773
- Killingly 8,852
- Putnam 8,099
- Plainfield 8,027
- Thompson 4,999
- Brooklyn 2,250
- Woodstock 1,712
- Pomfret 1,617
- Sterling 1,233
- Canterbury 942
- Ashford 726
- Eastford 529
- Hampton 511
- Chaplin 414
- Scotland 402
1940
County Total: 56,223
- Windham 13,824
- Killingly 9,547
- Putnam 8,692
- Plainfield 7,613
- Thompson 5,577
- Brooklyn 2,403
- Woodstock 1,912
- Pomfret 1,710
- Sterling 1,251
- Canterbury 992
- Ashford 704
- Hampton 535
- Eastford 496
- Chaplin 489
- Scotland 478
1950
County Total: 61,759
- Windham 15,884
- Killingly 10,015
- Putnam 9,304
- Plainfield 8,071
- Thompson 5,585
- Brooklyn 2,652
- Woodstock 2,271
- Pomfret 2,018
- Canterbury 1,321
- Sterling 1,298
- Ashford 845
- Chaplin 712
- Hampton 672
- Eastford 598
- Scotland 513
1960
County Total: 68,572
- Windham 16,973
- Killingly 11,298
- Plainfield 8,884
- Putnam 8,412
- Thompson 6,217
- Brooklyn 3,312
- Woodstock 3,177
- Pomfret 2,136
- Canterbury 1,857
- Sterling 1,397
- Ashford 1,315
- Chaplin 1,230
- Hampton 934
- Eastford 746
- Scotland 684
1970
County Total: 84,515
- Windham 19,626
- Killingly 13,573
- Plainfield 11,957
- Putnam 8,598
- Thompson 7,580
- Brooklyn 4,965
- Woodstock 4,311
- Canterbury 2,673
- Pomfret 2,529
- Ashford 2,156
- Sterling 1,853
- Chaplin 1,621
- Hampton 1,129
- Scotland 1,022
- Eastford 922
1980
County Total: 92,312
- Windham 21,062
- Killingly 14,519
- Plainfield 12,774
- Putnam 8,580
- Thompson 8,141
- Brooklyn 5,691
- Woodstock 5,117
- Canterbury 3,426
- Ashford 3,221
- Pomfret 2,775
- Chaplin 1,793
- Sterling 1,791
- Hampton 1,322
- Scotland 1,072
- Eastford 1,028
1990
County Total: 102,525
- Windham 22,039
- Killingly 15,889
- Plainfield 14,363
- Putnam 9,031
- Thompson 8,668
- Brooklyn 6,681
- Woodstock 6,008
- Canterbury 4,467
- Ashford 3,765
- Pomfret 3,102
- Sterling 2,357
- Chaplin 2,048
- Hampton 1,578
- Eastford 1,314
- Scotland 1,215
2000
County Total: 109,091
- Windham 22,857
- Killingly 16,472
- Plainfield 14,619
- Putnam 9,002
- Thompson 8,878
- Woodstock 7,221
- Brooklyn 7,173
- Canterbury 4,692
- Ashford 4,098
- Pomfret 3,798
- Sterling 3,099
- Chaplin 2,250
- Hampton 1,758
- Eastford 1,618
- Scotland 1,556
Boroughs and Non-coextensive Cities
As of 1900, Windham County contained one borough and two non-coextensive cities:
- The borough of Danielson, within of the town of Killingly
- The city of Putnam, within the town of the same name
- The city of Willimantic, within the town of Windham
The city of Willimantic disincorporated in 1983, and the city of Putnam disincorporated in 1984.
1900
- Willimantic (city) 8,937
- Putnam (city) 6,667
- Danielson (borough) 2,823
1910
- Willimantic (city) 11,230
- Putnam (city) 6,637
- Danielson (borough) 2,934
1920
- Willimantic (city) 12,330
- Putnam (city) 7,711
- Danielson (borough) 3,130
1930
- Willimantic (city) 12,102
- Putnam (city) 7,318
- Danielson (borough) 4,210
1940
- Willimantic (city) 12,101
- Putnam (city) 7,775
- Danielson (borough) 4,507
1950
- Willimantic (city) 13,586
- Putnam (city) 8,181
- Danielson (borough) 4,554
1960
- Willimantic (city) 13,881
- Putnam (city) 6,952
- Danielson (borough) 4,642
1970
- Willimantic (city) 14,402
- Putnam (city) 6,918
- Danielson (borough) 4,580
1980
- Willimantic (city) 14,652
- Putnam (city) 6,855
- Danielson (borough) 4,553
1990
- Danielson (borough) 4,441
2000
- Danielson (borough) 4,265