Why New Milford Shows Up in Two Different Health Datasets

If you search for health statistics about New Milford, Connecticut, overdose rates, mental health resources, regional substance abuse data, you might notice something odd: the numbers don't always match. New Milford isn't getting healthier or sicker; the confusion comes from geography itself.

The 2022 Census Bureau Change

In June 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau made a formal change to how it defines statistical regions in Connecticut. Instead of Connecticut's eight traditional counties, the Census Bureau created nine County Equivalent Planning Regions (CEPRs). This change became effective for federal statistics beginning in 2024.

Starting in 2024, when the Census Bureau, CDC, County Health Rankings, and Connecticut's Department of Public Health report health data, they're using these nine new planning regions rather than the legacy county system.

The Concrete Numbers Gap

Under the old system, New Milford was clearly part of Litchfield County. The Census Bureau's new framework places New Milford in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, which includes Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford, and other towns.

This matters because the rural Litchfield towns (grouped into the Northwest Hills Planning Region) show very different overdose death rates than the more urban Western Connecticut region:

• Northwest Hills Planning Region (rural Litchfield towns): 19.0 overdose deaths per 100,000 people in 2024
• Western Connecticut Planning Region (including New Milford, Danbury, Norwalk, Stamford): 8.7 overdose deaths per 100,000 people, Connecticut's lowest rate, consistently from 2020 through 2024

If you search for "New Milford overdose statistics" and find data attributed to Litchfield County from an older source, you might land on the higher number (19.0). If you find data from a federal source using the new planning regions, you'll see the lower figure (8.7). Both numbers are real, but they describe different geographies.

Connecticut's DMHAS Region 5: Another Framework

Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) uses yet another geographic framework entirely. New Milford falls into Region 5, also known as the Western Connecticut Coalition. Region 5 spans 43 towns across Litchfield County, northern Fairfield County, and northern New Haven County, including both rural communities and urban centers like Waterbury.

What This Means When You're Searching for Information

• Check which region or county a source is using.
• If statistics seem misaligned with what you know about your community, the geographic framework might be the explanation, not an error in the data.
• Behavioral health services and resources may be organized under Connecticut's DMHAS regions, which is different from both traditional counties and Census Bureau planning regions.
• Lantana Recovery's New Milford location serves the actual town and surrounding area regardless of which statistical region it's filed under.

The shift to the Census Bureau's new planning regions reflects how people and services are actually distributed across the state. Now you know why the numbers sometimes don't match.