New Haven, CT vs Bridgeport, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New Haven, CT spends 38% more per resident than Bridgeport, CT: $66,510 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 54/100 (grade C) for New Haven, CT — a 21-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
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 New Haven, CT at $33,075 per resident and in Bridgeport, CT at $27,902.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in New Haven, CT at 100% of total revenue, whereas Bridgeport, CT relies most on other revenue at 5%.
Summary
New Haven spends 38.5% more per capita than Bridgeport ($18,479/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 | $1,927 | $308 |
| Income Tax | $999 | $15 |
| Intergovernmental | $53,739 | $1,555 |
| Other | $431 | $3,152 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,676 | $418 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,022 |
| Education | $33,075 | $27,902 |
| Public Welfare | $2,189 | $345 |
| Health | $286 | $669 |
| Hospitals | $1,047 | $293 |
| Parks & Recreation | $98 | $547 |
| Housing | $3,394 | $6,831 |
| Sewerage | $71 | $261 |
| Utilities | $967 | $957 |
| Other | $22,708 | $8,786 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.