Bridgeport, CT vs Norwalk, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Norwalk, CT and Bridgeport, CT spend within 9.3% of each other per resident — $52,486 versus $48,031 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Bridgeport, CT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for Norwalk, CT — a 14-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 Norwalk, CT at $34,497.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Bridgeport, CT at 5% of total revenue, whereas Norwalk, CT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 23%.
Summary
Norwalk spends 8.5% more per capita than Bridgeport ($4,455/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)
| Sales Tax | $308 | $723 |
| Income Tax | $15 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,555 | $9,012 |
| Other | $3,152 | $4,487 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $418 | $2,529 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,022 | $0 |
| Education | $27,902 | $34,497 |
| Public Welfare | $345 | $2,362 |
| Health | $669 | $381 |
| Hospitals | $293 | $97 |
| Parks & Recreation | $547 | $510 |
| Housing | $6,831 | $2,693 |
| Sewerage | $261 | $123 |
| Utilities | $957 | $66 |
| Other | $8,786 | $9,227 |
Compare More Cities
Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.