What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most kids (20.9% under 18).

Suffield has the shortest commute (26 min average).

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	Suffield
People
Population	20,796Highest	15,702Lowest
Median age	42.8±2.6Lowest 4% above CT	44.5±1.7Highest 8% above CT
	Suffield 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%	16.2%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.4%±2.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Suffield 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%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and Suffield 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	$119,472±$13kHighest 25% above CT
	Suffield 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	$407,500±$26kLowest 11% above CT
	Bethel and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT	$1,424±$141Lowest 4% below CT
	Bethel and Suffield 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	$6,456Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±11.5 CT: 52.6%	51%±4.6 CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	5.1%Highest CT: 10%	4.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above CT	26 minLowest 3% below CT
Work from home	17.5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	18.4%±4.1Highest CT: 16%
	Suffield 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	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Bethel School District	Suffield School District
High school in town	Bethel High School	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	10.9Lowest
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.