What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k median).

Bethlehem has the most kids (16.3% under 18).

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	Sharon	Bethlehem
People
Population	2,723Lowest	3,423Highest
Median age	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT	51.5±8.5Lowest 25% above CT
	Sharon and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethlehem and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,518±$15kLowest 5% above CT	$108,929±$16kHighest 14% above CT
	Bethlehem and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT	$410,900±$36kLowest 12% above CT
	Sharon and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
	Sharon and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT	$5,932Highest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest CT: 10%	10.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	29 minLowest 9% above CT
Work from home	18.7%±6.8Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Lowest CT: 16%
	Sharon 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	—	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Sharon 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.