What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethlehem has the most kids (16.3% under 18).

Columbia has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Columbia
People
Population	3,423Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethlehem and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±5.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Bethlehem 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%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia 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±$16kLowest 14% above CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Bethlehem 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	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
	Bethlehem and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Highest 24% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Bethlehem and Columbia 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	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Columbia 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%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Bethlehem 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	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 14	Columbia 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.