New Haven, CT vs Norwalk, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
New Haven, CT spends 27% more per resident than Norwalk, CT: $66,510 against $52,486. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Norwalk, CT edges New Haven, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 7 points — 61/100 (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 Norwalk, CT at $34,497.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in New Haven, CT and 23% in Norwalk, CT.
Summary
New Haven spends 26.7% more per capita than Norwalk ($14,025/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)
| Sales Tax | $1,927 | $723 |
| Income Tax | $999 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $53,739 | $9,012 |
| Other | $431 | $4,487 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,676 | $2,529 |
| Education | $33,075 | $34,497 |
| Public Welfare | $2,189 | $2,362 |
| Health | $286 | $381 |
| Hospitals | $1,047 | $97 |
| Parks & Recreation | $98 | $510 |
| Housing | $3,394 | $2,693 |
| Sewerage | $71 | $123 |
| Utilities | $967 | $66 |
| Other | $22,708 | $9,227 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.