Does Waterbury have a higher violent crime rate than New Haven or Bridgeport?

According to annual crime data collected by the FBI, Waterbury’s violent crime rate tends to be lower in areas like robbery, rape and aggravated assaults. 

But Waterbury has trended slightly lower or the same as Bridgeport in the number of homicides, like in 2023 — the last year in which FBI data is available — when they both reported 18. 

In other years, the cities’ numbers can vary widely. In 2021, Waterbury recorded 9 homicides, while Bridgeport recorded 20.

New Haven, meanwhile, often records more homicides than both Waterbury and Bridgeport. In 2021 for example, it reported 26. In 2023, it reported 22.

But another city tops New Haven, and all other Connecticut cities, in the number of homicides — the capital city of Hartford. It had 37 homicides in 2023, 40 in 2022 and 41 in 2021.