What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlefield has the most homeowners (86.5%).

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

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	Middlefield	Bethlehem
People
Population	4,243Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	51.6±1.9Highest 26% above CT	51.5±8.5Lowest 25% above CT
	Middlefield and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bethlehem and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±7.2Highest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Middlefield and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Middlefield and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,837±$20kLowest 4% above CT	$108,929±$16kHighest 14% above CT
	Bethlehem and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,000±$27kLowest about the CT average	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT
	Bethlehem and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,853Highest 3% above CT	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±52.1Highest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Middlefield and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%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	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	10.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Middlefield 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	#65 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	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.