What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellington has the most affordable homes ($367k median).

Bethel has the most expensive homes ($435k 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	Ellington	Bethel
People
Population	16,455Lowest	20,796Highest
Median age	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average	42.8±2.6Highest 4% above CT
	Bethel and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%	20.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	45.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,913±$17kHighest 36% above CT	$116,541±$7kLowest 22% above CT
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,900±$17kLowest about the CT average	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT	$1,640±$142Lowest 10% above CT
	Ellington and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,751Lowest about the CT average	$8,165Highest 23% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%	5.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	75.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 18% above CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	18.4%±3.9Highest CT: 16%	17.5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%
	Ellington and Bethel 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	#46 of 149 in CT	#100 of 149 in CT
School district	Ellington School District	Bethel School District
High school in town	Ellington High School	Bethel High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	13.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.