Bethel, Connecticut

Town · population 20,358 (2020 Census)

Median home: $434,600
Household income: $116,541
Jan low / Jul high: 21° / 85°
Snow a year: 49 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 8
Median age: 42.8

Bethel is a town of 20,358 people, Connecticut. The median home is worth $434,600, above the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). It ranks better for first-time buyers than 99% of Connecticut towns, more of a college town than 86% of Connecticut towns, better transit than 82% of Connecticut towns.

Bethel in our rankings:

#23 in The 50 Best Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in America

How Bethel ranks

Percentile among Connecticut towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Connecticut towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Bethel is worth $434,600, above the typical Connecticut town ($376,000). Homes cost about 3.7 times the median household income of $116,541, which is more affordable than 46% of Connecticut towns. Median rent is $1,640 a month. 75.2% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Connecticut towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Bethel	Typical Connecticut town
Median home value	$434,600	$376,000
Median rent	$1,640	$1,462
Median household income	$116,541	$109,167
Home value ÷ income	3.7×	3.6×
Homeownership	75.2%	80.3%
Median year built	1974	1969
Seasonal / vacation homes	0.6%	—

Who lives in Bethel

People	Bethel	Typical Connecticut town
Median age	42.8	45.0
Age 65 and over	16.4%	20.6%
Under 18	20.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	45.7%	45.8%
Below the poverty line	5.1%	5.7%
Veterans	3.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	21.2%	—
Work from home	17.5%	16.8%
Average commute	32.5 min	27.6 min
Homes with broadband	94.1%	93.8%

Weather in Bethel

July highs average 84.9°F and January lows 20.5°F. About 53.0 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 49.3 inches of snow (typical Connecticut town: 39.0 in). Expect about 20 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 126 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Danbury station (2.7 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bethel since 1950, compared with 8 for the typical Connecticut town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on July 14, 1950 about 9.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on May 16, 2007.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 20 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on May 31, 1998.

Public schools in Bethel

5 public schools with 3,211 students, about 13.2 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Bethel High School	9-12	1,083	13.0
Bethel Middle School	6-8	766	13.0
Ralph M. T. Johnson School	3-5	673	14.3
Frank A. Berry School	PK-2	387	11.7
Anna H. Rockwell School	K-2	302	13.7

Towns near Bethel

Bethel, CT
1.4 mi · 11,582 people · home $378,300
Redding, CT
4.4 mi · 8,765 people · home $706,300
Danbury, CT
5.0 mi · 86,518 people · home $411,200
Newtown, CT
5.4 mi · 27,173 people · home $546,200
Ridgefield, CT
6.8 mi · 25,033 people · home $836,200
Brookfield, CT
7.0 mi · 17,528 people · home $479,700
Stepney, CT
7.0 mi · 4,280 people · home $475,800
Sandy Hook, CT
8.1 mi · 9,114 people · home $501,200

Bethel questions

Is Bethel, Connecticut a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bethel scores better for retirees than 30% of Connecticut towns and quieter than 20%. 16.4% of residents are 65 or older (median age 42.8).

How much does a house cost in Bethel?

The median owner-occupied home in Bethel is valued at $434,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $116,541, so homes cost about 3.7 times income. Median rent is $1,640 a month.

What is the weather like in Bethel?

July highs average 84.9°F and January lows 20.5°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 53.0 inches of precipitation a year and 49.3 inches of snow.

Does Bethel get tornadoes?

8 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bethel since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on July 14, 1950. The typical Connecticut town has had 8.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bethel's Census boundary (GEOID 0919004720). Comparisons use the median of Connecticut towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-12.