Bridgeport, CT vs Hartford, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Hartford, CT spends 60% more per resident than Bridgeport, CT: $76,660 against $48,031. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Bridgeport, CT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 58/100 (grade C) for Hartford, CT — a 17-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Neither city reports outstanding debt per resident in its current Census filing, which removes debt service as a point of difference between them. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Bridgeport, CT at $27,902 per resident and in Hartford, CT at $39,340.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Bridgeport, CT at 5% of total revenue, whereas Hartford, CT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 26%.
Summary
Hartford spends 37.3% more per capita than Bridgeport ($28,629/person difference). Bridgeport, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (B, 75/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $308 | $1,103 |
| Income Tax | $15 | $9 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,555 | $10,322 |
| Other | $3,152 | $739 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $418 | $384 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,022 | $0 |
| Education | $27,902 | $39,340 |
| Public Welfare | $345 | $1,535 |
| Health | $669 | $1,038 |
| Hospitals | $293 | $5,508 |
| Parks & Recreation | $547 | $1,661 |
| Housing | $6,831 | $4,670 |
| Sewerage | $261 | $0 |
| Utilities | $957 | $298 |
| Other | $8,786 | $22,228 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.