What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethlehem has the most expensive homes ($411k median).

Brooklyn has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	Bethlehem	Brooklyn
People
Population	3,423Lowest	8,517Highest
Median age	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT	45.6±2.5Lowest 11% above CT
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.6%±4.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Brooklyn and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%	17.6%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	23.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.4%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Brooklyn and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,929±$16kHighest 14% above CT	$96,207±$15kLowest about the CT average
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT	$315,200±$28kLowest 14% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Highest 24% below CT	$1,125±$98Lowest 24% below CT
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,932Highest 11% below CT	$4,538Lowest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	38.5%±19.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest CT: 10%	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above CT	27 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%	10.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Brooklyn 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	#82 of 149 in CT	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 14	Brooklyn School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.