What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wethersfield has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Bethel has the most expensive homes ($435k median).

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	Wethersfield	Bethel
People
Population	27,250Highest	20,796Lowest
Median age	43.4±1.5Highest 6% above CT	42.8±2.6Lowest 4% above CT
	Wethersfield and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%	20.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Wethersfield and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±2Highest CT: 18.5%	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	45.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bethel and Wethersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$126,806±$12kHighest 32% above CT	$116,541±$7kLowest 22% above CT
	Wethersfield and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$324,600±$11kLowest 12% below CT	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,370±$150Lowest 8% below CT	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT
	Bethel and Wethersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,296Lowest 10% above CT	$8,165Highest 23% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±11.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	51%±11.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bethel and Wethersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest CT: 10%	5.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	75.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	18%±2.6Highest CT: 16%	17.5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%
	Wethersfield and Bethel 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	#92 of 149 in CT	#100 of 149 in CT
School district	Capitol Region Education Council · Wethersfield School District	Bethel School District
High school in town	Wethersfield High School	Bethel High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.8Highest	13.6Lowest
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.