What stands out worked out from the figures below

Preston has the most homeowners (91.7%).

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	Preston	Bethlehem
People
Population	4,821Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Preston and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,648±$27kHighest 22% above CT	$108,929±$16kLowest 14% above CT
	Preston and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,900±$13kLowest about the CT average	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,433±$1kHighest 4% below CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
	Preston and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT	$5,932Highest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±12.5Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Preston 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%	10.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Preston 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	#93 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Preston 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.