What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

Bethany has the most affordable homes ($418k 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	Madison	Bethany
People
Population	17,616Highest	5,288Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	42.5±2.9Lowest 3% above CT
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.3%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bethany and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	17.2%±4.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	58%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.8%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethany and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT	$166,236±$20kLowest 74% above CT
	Madison and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$418,000±$42kLowest 14% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741 36% above CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,843Highest 33% above CT	$8,313Lowest 25% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Highest CT: 52.6%	0%±100Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Madison and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Highest CT: 10%	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	97.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	12%±5.2Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 149 in CT	#30 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Bethany School District · Regional School District 05
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8	—
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.