What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k 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	Putnam
People
Population	20,796Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	42.8±2.6Lowest 4% above CT	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT
	Putnam 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%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethel and Putnam 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%	18.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Putnam 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%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and Putnam 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	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,165Highest 23% above CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Putnam 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%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	17.5%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethel School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	Bethel High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	9.5Lowest
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.