What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethlehem has the most people working from home (13.9%).

Voluntown has the most homeowners (83.5%).

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	Voluntown
People
Population	3,423Highest	2,604Lowest
Median age	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT	48.3±1.7Lowest 18% above CT
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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%	16.4%±3.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Voluntown 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%±3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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%	26.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%	3.4%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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	$101,964±$25kLowest 6% above CT
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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	$356,100±$16kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT	$1,166±$191Highest 22% below CT
	Voluntown 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	$4,955Lowest 25% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±24.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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%	7.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1983Highest 16 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	31 minHighest 18% above CT
Work from home	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%	8.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Voluntown 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	#53 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 14	Voluntown 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.