New Haven, CT vs Hartford, 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 New Haven, CT at $33,075 per resident and in Hartford, CT at $39,340.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in New Haven, CT and 26% in Hartford, CT.
Summary
Hartford spends 13.2% 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 | $1,927 | $1,103 |
| Income Tax | $999 | $9 |
| Intergovernmental | $53,739 | $10,322 |
| Other | $431 | $739 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,676 | $384 |
| Education | $33,075 | $39,340 |
| Public Welfare | $2,189 | $1,535 |
| Health | $286 | $1,038 |
| Hospitals | $1,047 | $5,508 |
| Parks & Recreation | $98 | $1,661 |
| Housing | $3,394 | $4,670 |
| Sewerage | $71 | $0 |
| Utilities | $967 | $298 |
| Other | $22,708 | $22,228 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.