What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

Bristol has the most people working from home (17.9%).

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	Bristol
People
Population	1,736Lowest	3,778Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.7±3.7Highest 18% above VT	47.9±4.8Lowest 11% above VT
	Bethel and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	12.8%±3.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bristol and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Highest VT: 21.4%	21.9%±4.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bethel and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	5.2%±3.2Highest VT: 7%
	Bristol and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,822±$7kHighest 7% below VT	$74,620±$8kLowest 8% below VT
	Bethel and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kLowest 25% below VT	$337,300±$46kHighest 7% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220Highest 8% above VT	$1,275±$181Lowest 3% above VT
	Bethel and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Lowest about the VT average	$5,978Highest 19% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest VT: 48.4%	47.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bethel and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	71.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 19% above VT	25 minLowest 5% above VT
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±6.1Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#31 of 70 in VT
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61
High school in town	None in town	Mt. Abraham Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.