What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashford has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Bethlehem has the oldest population (median age 51.5).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ashford	Bethlehem
People
Population	4,226Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±5.5Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Ashford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT	$108,929±$16kLowest 14% above CT
	Ashford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,800±$18kLowest 9% below CT	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,246±$208Highest 16% below CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
	Ashford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,982Highest 5% above CT	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%	10.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above CT	29 minLowest 9% above CT
Work from home	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Ashford School District	Regional School District 14
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.