Taxes in Waterbury
Waterbury's tax picture combines genuinely affordable housing costs with a real, honestly-disclosed, genuinely high effective property tax rate.
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Learn moreA real, genuinely high effective property tax rate
Waterbury's effective property tax rate ran approximately 4.21% (a 60.21 mill rate for FY2025-26, applied against Connecticut's 70% statutory assessment ratio) -- Connecticut's second-highest citywide rate behind only Hartford's approximately 74 mills, and above Hamden's ~55 and Bridgeport's ~54.
A real, dollar-terms offset from lower home values
Waterbury's genuinely lower typical home values mean actual dollar tax bills often run lower than in higher-value towns even at this same high rate -- though this remains a real, meaningful cost relative to the city's own housing prices.
Connecticut's real, graduated income tax
Connecticut's top marginal state income tax rate runs 6.99% (2026) across 7 brackets, applying above $500,000 (single) / $1,000,000 (joint) taxable income. The state's flat 6.35% sales tax carries no local-option add-on anywhere.
Key takeaways
- Waterbury's effective property tax rate (~4.21%) is Connecticut's second-highest citywide, behind only Hartford.
- Lower home values partially offset the high rate in dollar terms, though the rate itself remains genuinely elevated.
- Connecticut's 6.99% top income tax rate and flat 6.35% sales tax apply statewide.
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