What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethany has the highest household income ($166k).

Wallingford has the most renters (27.2% rent).

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	Bethany	Wallingford
People
Population	5,288Lowest	44,362Highest
Median age	42.5±2.9Lowest 3% above CT	42.6±1.8Highest 4% above CT
	Wallingford and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%	18.8%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethany and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±4.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	21.2%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethany and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$166,236±$20kHighest 74% above CT	$104,773±$5kLowest 9% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$418,000±$42kHighest 14% above CT	$353,100±$8kLowest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,374±$84 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,313Highest 25% above CT	$5,963Lowest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Wallingford and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%	5.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above CT	24 minLowest 8% below CT
Work from home	12%±5.2Lowest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Highest CT: 16%
	Wallingford and Bethany 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	#30 of 149 in CT	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethany School District · Regional School District 05	Wallingford School District
High school in town	None in town	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.5
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.