Waterbury, CT vs Bristol, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterbury, CT spends 23% more per resident than Bristol, CT: $55,426 against $44,977. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Waterbury, CT edges Bristol, CT on the Fiscal Health Score by 1 points — 41/100 (grade D) to 40/100 (grade D). At a margin this narrow the grade is close enough that the factor-level detail matters more than the composite.
On debt, Bristol, CT carries the lighter load at $47 per resident versus $108 for Waterbury, CT. Both cities pour the most per-resident dollars into the same function: education leads in Waterbury, CT at $33,920 per resident and in Bristol, CT at $30,607.
On the revenue side both lean hardest on intergovernmental transfers — 100% of total revenue in Waterbury, CT and 100% in Bristol, CT.
Summary
Waterbury spends 23.2% more per capita than Bristol ($10,450/person difference). Waterbury, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (D, 41/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $251 | $89 |
| Income Tax | $3 | $67 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,242 | $20,060 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,249 | $1,528 |
| Other | $2,485 | $2,307 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,439 | $379 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $219 |
| Education | $33,920 | $30,607 |
| Public Welfare | $1,768 | $1,237 |
| Health | $173 | $413 |
| Hospitals | $313 | $270 |
| Parks & Recreation | $161 | $777 |
| Housing | $3,627 | $3,405 |
| Sewerage | $74 | $112 |
| Utilities | $869 | $2,175 |
| Other | $12,083 | $5,384 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.