Hartford, CT vs Norwalk, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Hartford, CT spends 46% more per resident than Norwalk, CT: $76,660 against $52,486. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Norwalk, CT edges Hartford, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 3 points — 61/100 (grade C) to 58/100 (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 Norwalk, CT at $34,497.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 26% of total revenue in Hartford, CT and 23% in Norwalk, CT.
Summary
Hartford spends 46.1% more per capita than Norwalk ($24,174/person difference). Norwalk, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 61/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Property Tax | $0 | $0 |
| Sales Tax | $1,103 | $723 |
| Income Tax | $9 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $10,322 | $9,012 |
| Other | $739 | $4,487 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $384 | $2,529 |
| Education | $39,340 | $34,497 |
| Public Welfare | $1,535 | $2,362 |
| Health | $1,038 | $381 |
| Hospitals | $5,508 | $97 |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,661 | $510 |
| Housing | $4,670 | $2,693 |
| Sewerage | $0 | $123 |
| Utilities | $298 | $66 |
| Other | $22,228 | $9,227 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.