What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Plainfield
People
Population	20,796Highest	15,141Lowest
Median age	42.8±2.6Highest 4% above CT	37±4.5Lowest 10% below CT
	Bethel and Plainfield 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%	19.4%±2.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethel and Plainfield 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%	16.6%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Plainfield 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%	15%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and Plainfield 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	$76,993±$8kLowest 20% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT	$272,100±$16kLowest 26% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT	$1,204±$70Lowest 19% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,165Highest 23% above CT	$4,209Lowest 37% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%	39.8%±9.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest CT: 10%	8.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	73.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 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%±4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 149 in CT	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethel School District	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Bethel High School	Plainfield 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.