Bridgeport, CT vs Waterbury, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterbury, CT spends 15% more per resident than Bridgeport, CT: $55,426 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 41/100 (grade D) for Waterbury, CT — a 34-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
Bridgeport, CT reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Waterbury, CT carries $108 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Bridgeport, CT at $27,902 per resident and in Waterbury, CT at $33,920.
They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Bridgeport, CT at 5% of total revenue, whereas Waterbury, CT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 100%.
Summary
Waterbury spends 13.3% more per capita than Bridgeport ($7,395/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 | $251 |
| Income Tax | $15 | $3 |
| Intergovernmental | $1,555 | $42,242 |
| Charges & Fees | $0 | $1,249 |
| Other | $3,152 | $2,485 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $418 | $2,439 |
| Highways & Roads | $1,022 | $0 |
| Education | $27,902 | $33,920 |
| Public Welfare | $345 | $1,768 |
| Health | $669 | $173 |
| Hospitals | $293 | $313 |
| Parks & Recreation | $547 | $161 |
| Housing | $6,831 | $3,627 |
| Sewerage | $261 | $74 |
| Utilities | $957 | $869 |
| Other | $8,786 | $12,083 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.