What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salisbury has the most people working from home (28%).

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	Salisbury
People
Population	3,423Lowest	4,224Highest
Median age	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT	44.2±9.9Lowest 8% above CT
	Bethlehem and Salisbury 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%	19.2%±6.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salisbury and Bethlehem 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%	28.1%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salisbury 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%	58.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Salisbury 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	$124,256±$26kHighest 30% above CT
	Salisbury 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	$763,700±$121kHighest 108% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT	$1,846±$736Highest 24% above CT
	Salisbury and Bethlehem 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	$5,125Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	23.2%±11.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Salisbury 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%	4.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	68.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above CT	20 minLowest 25% below CT
Work from home	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%	28%±8Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#82 of 149 in CT	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 14	Salisbury 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.