What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.6%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	3,423Highest	2,303Lowest
Median age	51.5±8.5Lowest 25% above CT	55.6±3.3Highest 35% above CT
	Lyme and Bethlehem 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%	13.1%±2.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bethlehem and Lyme 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%	30.7%±4.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Lyme 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%Lowest CT: 42.5%	63.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%	2.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Lyme 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	$135,000±$22kHighest 41% above CT
	Lyme 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±$36kLowest 12% above CT	$629,900±$105kHighest 72% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT	$1,719±$1kHighest 16% above CT
	Lyme and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT	$7,328Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	32.9%±44.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Lyme 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%	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	31 minHighest 17% above CT
Work from home	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%	27.6%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Lyme 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	—
School district	Regional School District 14	Regional School District 18
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.