Bristol, CT vs Waterbury, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterbury, CT spends 23% more per resident than Bristol, CT: $55,426 against $44,977. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Waterbury, CT edges Bristol, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 41/100 (grade D) to 40/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Bristol, CT carries the lighter load at $47 per resident versus $108 for Waterbury, CT. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Bristol, CT at $30,607 per resident and in Waterbury, CT at $33,920.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Bristol, CT and 100% in Waterbury, CT.
Summary
Waterbury spends 18.9% more per capita than Bristol ($10,450/person difference). Waterbury, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 41/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $89 | $251 |
| Income Tax | $67 | $3 |
| Intergovernmental | $20,060 | $42,242 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,528 | $1,249 |
| Other | $2,307 | $2,485 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $379 | $2,439 |
| Highways & Roads | $219 | $0 |
| Education | $30,607 | $33,920 |
| Public Welfare | $1,237 | $1,768 |
| Health | $413 | $173 |
| Hospitals | $270 | $313 |
| Parks & Recreation | $777 | $161 |
| Housing | $3,405 | $3,627 |
| Sewerage | $112 | $74 |
| Utilities | $2,175 | $869 |
| Other | $5,384 | $12,083 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.