What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most kids (22.7% under 18).

Bethlehem has the most renters (29.8% rent).

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	Brookfield	Bethlehem
People
Population	17,706Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,360±$11kHighest 55% above CT	$108,929±$16kLowest 14% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$410,900±$36kLowest 12% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%	10.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%
	Brookfield 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	#67 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Regional School District 14
High school in town	Brookfield High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	—
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.