Census Data for Old Lyme

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Old Lyme a population of 7,331 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Old Lyme a population of 7,603 people.

The community of Old Lyme is located in New London County. The 2010 Census gave New London County; a population of 274,004 people. This means that Old Lyme had 2.77% of the county's total population, making it New London's 14th most populous community.

At the same time, Connecticut had a population of 3,574,097 people, meaning that Old Lyme had 0.21% of the total population of Connecticut - making it the state's 133rd most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Old Lyme has a total area of 28.82 square miles [74.6 km²]. Of this total, 23.02 square miles [59.6 km²] is land, with the balance (20.14%) being water (5.8 square miles [15 km²]).

New London County has a land area of 664 square miles [1,722 km²]. At 23.02 square miles [59.6 km²], Old Lyme has 3.46% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Old Lyme, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Old Lyme reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Old Lyme might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   41° 18' 44"   (or 41.31°)
  • Lon:   -72° 18' 20"   (or -72.31°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Old Lyme had 5,021 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 7,603 people, this averages 1.51 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Old Lyme had a land area of 23.02 square miles [59.6 km²]. This translates to 174.2 Housing Units per square mile [67.3 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Old Lyme had 4,570 Housing Units, a population of 7,406 people and a land area of 23.1 square miles [59.8 km²]. This gives a density of 1.62 people per Housing Unit and 158.6 Housing Units per square mile [61.2 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Old Lyme and you need to be careful when comparing between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

New London County ...

The community of Old Lyme is located in New London County<4>.

The county had a population of 274,004 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 7,603 people, Old Lyme represented 2.77% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Old Lyme has a population density of 263.8 people per square mile [101.9 people/km²], New London County averages 412.1 people per square mile [159.1 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for New London County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Old Lyme, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Old Lyme. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Old Lyme or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Old Lyme, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Old Lyme.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.312320°   (or 41°18'44" N)
  • Lon:   -72.305742°   (or -72°18'20" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.310247°   (or 41°18'36" N)
  • Lon:   -72.292248°   (or -72°17'32" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3,771 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#213483) to Old Lyme. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Old Lyme. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.317320°   (or 41°19'2" N)
  • Lon:   -72.303137°   (or -72°18'11" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 1,957 feet to the south<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Old Lyme. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Old Lyme.

Miscellaneous Information for Old Lyme ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either New London County or the community of Old Lyme:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Old Lyme:
  • GNIS ID for Old Lyme: 213483
  • GNIS ID for New London County: 212799
  • GNIS ID for State of Connecticut: 1779780

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 09 (Connecticut)
  • County Code: 011 (New London County)
  • Place Code: 57040 (Old Lyme)
  • State & County Code: 09/011 (Connecticut / New London County)
  • State & Place Code: 09/57040 (Connecticut / Old Lyme)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Old Lyme is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Old Lyme.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Old Lyme. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Connecticut: https://portal.ct.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)