What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most kids (23.2% under 18).

Bethlehem has the oldest population (median age 51.5).

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	Salem	Bethlehem
People
Population	4,282Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT	$108,929±$16kLowest 14% above CT
	Salem and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$403,600±$33kLowest 10% above CT	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT
	Bethlehem and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,668Highest about the CT average	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%	10.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above CT	29 minLowest 9% above CT
Work from home	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%
	Salem and Bethlehem 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	#11 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Salem 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.