Waterbury, CT vs Danbury, CT
Side-by-side fiscal comparison · U.S. Census Bureau data (2023)
Waterbury, CT spends 28% more per resident than Danbury, CT: $55,426 against $43,358. That gap is large enough to show up across most functional budget categories below.
Danbury, CT holds the stronger Fiscal Health Score, 60/100 (grade C) against 41/100 (grade D) for Waterbury, CT — a 19-point spread that puts the two in different grade territory.
On debt, Waterbury, CT carries the lighter load at $108 per resident versus $129 for Danbury, 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 Danbury, CT at $27,827.
They also fund themselves differently: intergovernmental transfers is the largest single revenue source in Waterbury, CT at 100% of total revenue, whereas Danbury, CT relies most on other revenue at 14%.
Summary
Waterbury spends 27.8% more per capita than Danbury ($12,069/person difference). Danbury, CT has the stronger Fiscal Health Score (C, 60/100).
Fiscal Health Score
Key Metrics
Per Capita Spending by Department
Revenue Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Sales Tax | $251 | $442 |
| Income Tax | $3 | $0 |
| Intergovernmental | $42,242 | $2,313 |
| Charges & Fees | $1,249 | $1,180 |
| Other | $2,485 | $3,156 |
Spending Breakdown (Per Capita)
| Fire Protection | $2,439 | $357 |
| Highways & Roads | $0 | $264 |
| Education | $33,920 | $27,827 |
| Public Welfare | $1,768 | $913 |
| Health | $173 | $290 |
| Hospitals | $313 | $53 |
| Parks & Recreation | $161 | $751 |
| Housing | $3,627 | $2,419 |
| Sewerage | $74 | $64 |
| Utilities | $869 | $984 |
| Other | $12,083 | $9,436 |
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Source: Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, 2026.