What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Haven has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Bethel has the most people working from home (17.5%).

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	North Haven	Bethel
People
Population	24,336Highest	20,796Lowest
Median age	45.7±1.3Highest 11% above CT	42.8±2.6Lowest 4% above CT
	North Haven and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	20.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	North Haven and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	45.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and North Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,689±$7kHighest 39% above CT	$116,541±$7kLowest 22% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,200±$15kLowest 7% above CT	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,720±$127Highest 16% above CT	$1,640±$142Lowest 10% above CT
	North Haven and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,964Lowest 5% above CT	$8,165Highest 23% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.2%±10Lowest CT: 52.6%	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and North Haven 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%	5.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	75.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	14.9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	17.5%±2.9Highest CT: 16%
	Bethel and North Haven 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	#84 of 149 in CT	#100 of 149 in CT
School district	Area Cooperative Educational Services · North Haven School District	Bethel School District
High school in town	North Haven High School	Bethel High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	13.6Highest
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.