What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most expensive homes ($435k median).

Ellington has the most affordable homes ($367k 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	Ellington
People
Population	20,796Highest	16,455Lowest
Median age	42.8±2.6Highest 4% above CT	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average
	Bethel and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Bethel 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%	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ellington 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%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,541±$7kLowest 22% above CT	$129,913±$17kHighest 36% above CT
	Ellington and Bethel 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	$366,900±$17kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,640±$142Lowest 10% above CT	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,165Highest 23% above CT	$6,751Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%	45.5%±10.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Ellington 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%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above CT	31 minLowest 18% above CT
Work from home	17.5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	18.4%±3.9Highest CT: 16%
	Ellington and Bethel 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	#46 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethel School District	Ellington School District
High school in town	Bethel High School	Ellington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	10.3Lowest
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.