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Data from U.S. Census Bureau · 2026 · Methodology
CitySpend

Danbury, CT vs Norwalk, CT

Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)

Reviewed by CitySpend Editorial Team · Updated

Norwalk, CT spends 21% more per resident than Danbury, CT: $52,486 against $43,358. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.

Norwalk, CT edges Danbury, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 60/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.

Norwalk, CT reports no outstanding debt per resident in its Census filing, while Danbury, CT carries $129 per resident. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Danbury, CT at $27,827 per resident and in Norwalk, CT at $34,497.

They also fund themselves differently: other revenue is the largest single revenue source in Danbury, CT at 14% of total revenue, whereas Norwalk, CT relies most on intergovernmental transfers at 23%.

Summary

Norwalk spends 17.4% more per capita than Danbury ($9,128/person difference). Norwalk, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).

Fiscal Health Score

City A
Danbury, CT
Pop. 86,456
C
60/100
Budget Balance40
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50
City B
Norwalk, CT
Pop. 91,050
C
61/100
Budget Balance45
Debt Burden100
Pension Funding76
Spending Efficiency0
Revenue Diversity100
Trend Direction50

Key Metrics

Metric
Danbury
Norwalk
Total Spending
$3.7B
$4.8B
Spending / Capita
$43,358
$52,486
Total Revenue
$1.9B
$3.5B
Revenue / Capita
$21,950
$38,437
Total Debt
$11.2M
$0
Debt / Capita
$129
$0
Population
86,456
91,050
Gov Employees / 10K
0.0
0.0
Avg Gov Salary
$0
$0

Per Capita Spending by Department

Fire Protection
Danbury$357
Norwalk$2,529
Highways & Roads
Danbury$264
Norwalk$0
Parks & Recreation
Danbury$751
Norwalk$510
Education
Danbury$27,827
Norwalk$34,497
Health
Danbury$290
Norwalk$381

Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)

DanburyNorwalk
Sales Tax
$442
$723
Intergovernmental
$2,313
$9,012
Charges & Fees
$1,180
$0
Other
$3,156
$4,487

Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)

DanburyNorwalk
Fire Protection
$357
$2,529
Highways & Roads
$264
$0
Education
$27,827
$34,497
Public Welfare
$913
$2,362
Health
$290
$381
Hospitals
$53
$97
Parks & Recreation
$751
$510
Housing
$2,419
$2,693
Sewerage
$64
$123
Utilities
$984
$66
Other
$9,436
$9,227
C
Danbury, CT
Fiscal Health Score: 60/100
Average fiscal health
C
Norwalk, CT
Fiscal Health Score: 61/100
Average fiscal health

Compare More Cities

Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.