Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0How is Bridgeport run?
Bridgeport’s city government spent $728.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $4,909 per resident.
What stands out about how Bridgeport is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Bridgeport School District
Bridgeport’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Bridgeport, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $21,004 per pupil, $12,930 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Connecticut districts overall: 58% local, 35% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $4,909 per resident a year, or $13.45 a day
Schools are part of the city’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 60% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Bridgeport runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with U.S. cities of 100,000–249,999 that run their own schools.
$5,009 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Bridgeport’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,009 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 20 U.S. cities of 100,000–249,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,992, and the middle half spent $4,328–$5,764. Bridgeport spent more than 50% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($40.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
U.S. cities of 100,000–249,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bridgeport itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 1% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bridgeport reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $5,009 · 2023: $5,088 · 2024: $4,909.
full-time in March 2025, up from 3,752 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,496 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.36% of the home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bridgeport’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Bridgeport’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bridgeport →
Who’s in charge in Bridgeport
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bridgeport’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bridgeportct.gov ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 39 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (148,377).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Bridgeport voted in 2024
Official results for Bridgeport’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat72.7%26,992 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican26.1%9,707 votesOthers: 1.1% (423 votes).
Most votes in Bridgeport: Kamala D Harris
Fairfield County: Harris 59.0%, Trump 39.4% · Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%
of Bridgeport’s 92,609 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Connecticut: 66%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Bridgeport: Christopher S Murphy
Fairfield County: Murphy 60.3%, Corey 38.3% · Connecticut: Murphy 58.6%, Corey 39.7%
Most votes in the district: Jim Himes
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Bridgeport, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport | 72.7% | 26.1% | 1.1% | 37,122 |
| Fairfield County | 59.0% | 39.4% | 1.6% | 452,303 |
| Connecticut | 56.4% | 41.9% | 1.7% | 1,759,010 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Bridgeport sends 7 representatives to the Connecticut House alone.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bridgeportct.gov ↗
- 2Connecticut HouseBridgeport is split between 7 districts
- 3Connecticut SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Connecticut
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bridgeport compares with the towns next door
Bridgeport spent $5,009 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bridgeport’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bridgeport’s government
How much does Bridgeport spend per resident?
About $4,909 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $5,009 was more than 50% of 20 U.S. cities of 100,000–249,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bridgeport?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,496 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.36% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.81% across Connecticut. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bridgeportct.gov.
Who runs Bridgeport’s government?
See bridgeportct.gov for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bridgeport yet.
How did Bridgeport vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 72.7%, Donald J Trump 26.1% (37,122 votes, official results). Fairfield County: Harris 59.0%, Trump 39.4%. Connecticut: Harris 56.4%, Trump 41.9%.
How many people work for Bridgeport?
3,842 full-time and 342 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $27.0M (about $323.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Bridgeport in the state legislature?
Bridgeport is split among 7 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Connecticut Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bridgeport’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →