What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most people working from home (18.3%).

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

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	Chester	Bethlehem
People
Population	3,825Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	54±3.4Highest 31% above CT	51.5±8.5Lowest 25% above CT
	Chester and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±4.9Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Chester and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±4Highest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Chester and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,191±$18kHighest 14% above CT	$108,929±$16kLowest 14% above CT
	Chester and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,200±$25kHighest 21% above CT	$410,900±$36kLowest 12% above CT
	Chester and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$247Highest 4% above CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,364Highest 4% below CT	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest CT: 10%	10.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	18.3%±5.6Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%
	Chester 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	#8 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Chester School District	Regional School District 14
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.