Norwalk, CT vs Bridgeport, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Norwalk, CT and Bridgeport, CT spend within 9.3% of each other per resident — $52,486 versus $48,031 — so on the headline spending-per-capita measure the two cities are effectively neck and neck.
Bridgeport, CT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 75/100 (grade B) against 61/100 (grade C) for Norwalk, CT — a 14-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 Norwalk, CT at $34,497 per resident and in Bridgeport, CT at $27,902.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Norwalk, CT at 23% of total revenue, whereas Bridgeport, CT relies most on other revenue at 5%.
Summary
Norwalk spends 9.3% more per capita than Bridgeport ($4,455/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 | $723 | $308 |
| Income Tax | $0 | $15 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,012 | $1,555 |
| Other | $4,487 | $3,152 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,529 | $418 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $1,022 |
| Education | $34,497 | $27,902 |
| Public Welfare | $2,362 | $345 |
| Health | $381 | $669 |
| Hospitals | $97 | $293 |
| Parks & Recreation | $510 | $547 |
| Housing | $2,693 | $6,831 |
| Sewerage | $123 | $261 |
| Utilities | $66 | $957 |
| Other | $9,227 | $8,786 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.