Hartford, CT vs New Haven, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Hartford, CT spends 15% more per resident than New Haven, CT: $76,660 against $66,510. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Hartford, CT edges New Haven, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 4 points — 58/100 (grade C) to 54/100 (grade C). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
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 Hartford, CT at $39,340 per resident and in New Haven, CT at $33,075.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 26% of total revenue in Hartford, CT and 100% in New Haven, CT.
Summary
Hartford spends 15.3% more per capita than New Haven ($10,150/person difference). Hartford, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 58/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,103 | $1,927 |
| Income Tax | $9 | $999 |
| Intergovernmental | $10,322 | $53,739 |
| Other | $739 | $431 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $384 | $2,676 |
| Education | $39,340 | $33,075 |
| Public Welfare | $1,535 | $2,189 |
| Health | $1,038 | $286 |
| Hospitals | $5,508 | $1,047 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,661 | $98 |
| Housing | $4,670 | $3,394 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $71 |
| Utilities | $298 | $967 |
| Other | $22,228 | $22,708 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.