Connecticut business data / Original analysis
Greater Bridgeport has more bookkeeping and other accounting offices per business than any other Connecticut region
Where in Connecticut are bookkeeping and other accounting offices most common, relative to the number of businesses? We counted bookkeeping and other accounting establishments in each of the state's nine planning regions using the U.S. Census Bureau's County Business Patterns for 2022 and 2023.
Greater Bridgeport ranks first
The Greater Bridgeport Planning Region had 29 bookkeeping and other accounting establishments in 2023, for 6,941 employer businesses. That is 4.18 per 1,000 businesses, the highest of Connecticut's nine planning regions.
The Western Connecticut Planning Region came second at 4.06. The lowest was the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region at 3.23.
One year of change
Connecticut's planning regions only appear in County Business Patterns from 2022, so there are two years to compare. Greater Bridgeport went from 32 bookkeeping and other accounting establishments to 29, and still ranked first. Western Connecticut went from 71 to 81.
Across the full accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll group, Greater Bridgeport went from 116 establishments to 111.
Most are small shops
In 2023, 24 of Greater Bridgeport's 29 bookkeeping and other accounting establishments had fewer than five employees.
What this means if you're choosing a bookkeeper around Trumbull
Relative to its business base, the region has more bookkeeping and other accounting offices than any other Connecticut region, and most are small. More choice makes the questions you ask matter more.
- Ask whether your accounts are reconciled every month, and by what date you'll see a profit and loss statement.
- Find out what your tax preparer receives at year end, and in what state the books arrive.
- Check who you'll deal with each month, and whether the same person handles payroll and sales tax.
How we got these numbers
We downloaded the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns county files for 2022 and 2023 and read the rows for Connecticut's nine planning regions (FIPS 09110 to 09190). We used the employer establishment count (est) for 541219 Other Accounting Services, the code that includes bookkeeping services. The CSV also carries 5412, the full accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll group. The fewer-than-five-employees figures come from the file's n<5 column.
From 2022, Census data for Connecticut uses the state's nine planning regions in place of its eight old counties. Trumbull and Bridgeport are in the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.
Industry establishments ÷ all employer establishments in the region × 1,000
For example, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region in 2023: 29 ÷ 6,941 × 1,000 = 4.18. Percentage changes compare 2022 with 2023 and are rounded to one decimal place.
The 2023 County Business Patterns release is the latest the Census Bureau's dataset directory listed when we checked on October 10, 2026. These are 2023 counts, not 2026 counts.
What this study does not measure
- Self-employed accountants and bookkeepers. County Business Patterns covers businesses with paid employees. Sole proprietors with no staff are not in these counts.
- Companies. An establishment is one business location. A firm with two offices counts twice.
- Where clients are. Firms are counted where they are located. A firm may serve clients in other counties or states.
- Demand, quality or prices. These are counts of business locations only.
- Counties. Connecticut's Census data uses planning regions in place of the old counties from 2022, so these figures can't be lined up with county figures from earlier years.
- Small numbers. With counts this small, one office opening or closing moves the rate noticeably, so read single-year changes with care.
Every region, industry and year
| Year | Planning region | Industry | Establishments | Fewer than 5 employees | All businesses | Per 1,000 businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Capitol Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 81 | 59 | 23,773 | 3.41 |
| 2022 | Capitol Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 363 | 225 | 23,773 | 15.27 |
| 2022 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 32 | 26 | 6,969 | 4.59 |
| 2022 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 116 | 85 | 6,969 | 16.65 |
| 2022 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 15 | 10 | 4,495 | 3.34 |
| 2022 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 53 | 31 | 4,495 | 11.79 |
| 2022 | Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 32 | 25 | 9,149 | 3.50 |
| 2022 | Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 147 | 91 | 9,149 | 16.07 |
| 2022 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 7 | 7 | 1,735 | 4.03 |
| 2022 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 22 | 19 | 1,735 | 12.68 |
| 2022 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 8 | 3 | 2,878 | 2.78 |
| 2022 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 33 | 18 | 2,878 | 11.47 |
| 2022 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 44 | 37 | 13,808 | 3.19 |
| 2022 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 201 | 136 | 13,808 | 14.56 |
| 2022 | Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 21 | 12 | 5,898 | 3.56 |
| 2022 | Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 83 | 47 | 5,898 | 14.07 |
| 2022 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 71 | 54 | 19,826 | 3.58 |
| 2022 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 268 | 173 | 19,826 | 13.52 |
| 2023 | Capitol Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 81 | 62 | 23,642 | 3.43 |
| 2023 | Capitol Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 365 | 224 | 23,642 | 15.44 |
| 2023 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 29 | 24 | 6,941 | 4.18 |
| 2023 | Greater Bridgeport Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 111 | 81 | 6,941 | 15.99 |
| 2023 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 15 | 12 | 4,489 | 3.34 |
| 2023 | Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 51 | 32 | 4,489 | 11.36 |
| 2023 | Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 32 | 24 | 9,114 | 3.51 |
| 2023 | Naugatuck Valley Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 146 | 84 | 9,114 | 16.02 |
| 2023 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 7 | 7 | 1,751 | 4.00 |
| 2023 | Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 21 | 18 | 1,751 | 11.99 |
| 2023 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 10 | 4 | 2,909 | 3.44 |
| 2023 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 31 | 19 | 2,909 | 10.66 |
| 2023 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 49 | 42 | 13,779 | 3.56 |
| 2023 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 213 | 145 | 13,779 | 15.46 |
| 2023 | Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 19 | 12 | 5,883 | 3.23 |
| 2023 | Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 83 | 51 | 5,883 | 14.11 |
| 2023 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | Bookkeeping and other accounting | 81 | 60 | 19,955 | 4.06 |
| 2023 | Western Connecticut Planning Region | All accounting, tax, bookkeeping and payroll | 279 | 180 | 19,955 | 13.98 |
The CSV download also includes the full NAICS 5412 group for every region.
Sources and update record
U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns county files (ZIP), one per year: 2022, 2023. Release list: County Business Patterns datasets. Planning region names: Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer county file.
October 10, 2026: first publication. When the Census Bureau releases a newer year, this page is recalculated and reviewed before any figure changes. Spotted an error? Tell us.