What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wallingford has the youngest population (median age 42.6).

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	Wallingford	Bethlehem
People
Population	44,362Highest	3,423Lowest
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT	51.5±8.5Highest 25% above CT
	Bethlehem and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Highest CT: 20.2%	16.3%±4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.5%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bethlehem and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	39.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,773±$5kLowest 9% above CT	$108,929±$16kHighest 14% above CT
	Bethlehem and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kLowest 4% below CT	$410,900±$36kHighest 12% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest 8% below CT	$1,127±$124Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 10% below CT	$5,932Lowest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	69.7%±38.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethlehem and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%	10.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	13.3%±2Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±5Highest CT: 16%
	Bethlehem and Wallingford 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	#108 of 149 in CT	#82 of 149 in CT
School district	Wallingford School District	Regional School District 14
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
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.