What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most people working from home (17.5%).

Brooklyn has the most affordable homes ($315k median).

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	Bethel	Brooklyn
People
Population	20,796Highest	8,517Lowest
Median age	42.8±2.6Lowest 4% above CT	45.6±2.5Highest 11% above CT
	Brooklyn and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	20.6%±4.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethel and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	17.6%±2.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Brooklyn and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	23.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	5.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,541±$7kHighest 22% above CT	$96,207±$15kLowest about the CT average
	Bethel and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT	$315,200±$28kLowest 14% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT	$1,125±$98Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,165Highest 23% above CT	$4,538Lowest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%	38.5%±19.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Highest CT: 10%	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above CT	27 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	17.5%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	10.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Bethel and Brooklyn 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	#100 of 149 in CT	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethel School District	Brooklyn School District
High school in town	Bethel High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6	—
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.