What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethlehem has the most renters (29.8% rent).

Haddam has the most kids (21.3% 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	Haddam
People
Population	3,423Lowest	8,644Highest
Median age	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT	45.9±2.6Lowest 12% above CT
	Bethlehem and Haddam 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%	21.3%±3.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Haddam 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%	21%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Haddam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%	47.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.2%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Haddam 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	$114,426±$15kHighest 19% above CT
	Haddam 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	$379,700±$25kLowest 3% above CT
	Bethlehem and Haddam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT	$1,567±$258Highest 5% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT	$7,045Highest 6% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	63.2%±47Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Haddam 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%	4.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	31 minHighest 16% above CT
Work from home	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%	11.8%±3.3Lowest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Haddam 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	#25 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 14	Regional School District 17
High school in town	None in town	Haddam-Killingworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.5
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.