What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

Bethany has the most kids (20.3% 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	Thompson	Bethany
People
Population	9,337Highest	5,288Lowest
Median age	54.1±2.2Highest 32% above CT	42.5±2.9Lowest 3% above CT
Kids under 18	11.4%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.3%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	24.4%±4.3Highest CT: 18.5%	17.2%±4.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Thompson and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.8%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethany and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,629±$18kLowest about the CT average	$166,236±$20kHighest 74% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,900±$24kLowest 20% below CT	$418,000±$42kHighest 14% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,012±$344 32% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 42% below CT	$8,313Highest 25% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±18.7Highest CT: 52.6%	0%±100Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Thompson and Bethany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest CT: 10%	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%	97.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 4 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Highest CT: 16%	12%±5.2Lowest CT: 16%
	Thompson and Bethany 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	#130 of 149 in CT	#30 of 149 in CT
School district	Thompson School District	Bethany School District · Regional School District 05
High school in town	Tourtellotte Memorial High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9	—
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.