What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the most affordable homes ($259k median).

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	Windsor Locks	Bethel
People
Population	12,579Lowest	20,796Highest
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest about the CT average	42.8±2.6Highest 4% above CT
	Bethel and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.9%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bethel and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Highest CT: 18.5%	16.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Windsor Locks and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	45.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Windsor Locks and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,205±$13kLowest 15% below CT	$116,541±$7kHighest 22% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 29% below CT	$434,600±$16kHighest 18% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Lowest 6% below CT	$1,640±$142Highest 10% above CT
	Bethel and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 44% below CT	$8,165Highest 23% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest CT: 52.6%	51%±11.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Windsor Locks and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Highest CT: 10%	5.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	75.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%	17.5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%
	Windsor Locks 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	#109 of 149 in CT	#100 of 149 in CT
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Bethel School District
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Bethel High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	13.6Highest
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.