The seismic behaviors of steel moment connections with different structural characteristics are investigated. The rupture index, which represents the fracture potential, is adopted to study the effect of concrete slab and the relative strength between the coin the beam, and Panel zone on the ductility of connections. The results show that the presence of slab increases the beam strength, imposes constraint near the beam top flange, and consequently, induces concentrated deformation near the beam access hall, which reduces the ductility of the connection. The total deformation capacity of the connection depends not only on the beam but also on the column and panel zone. Therefore, the detrimental slab effects and the relative strength should be considered in the seismic design of the connection.