Census Data for Bethel

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Bethel a population of 19,903 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Bethel a population of 18,584 people.

The community of Bethel is located in Fairfield County. The 2010 Census gave Fairfield County; a population of 916,829 people. This means that Bethel had 2.03% of the county's total population, making it Fairfield's 21st most populous community.

At the same time, Connecticut had a population of 3,574,097 people, meaning that Bethel had 0.52% of the total population of Connecticut - making it the state's 80th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Bethel has a total area of 16.93 square miles [43.8 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.04 square miles [0.1 km²]).

Fairfield County has a land area of 624 square miles [1,618.5 km²]. At 16.89 square miles [43.7 km²], Bethel has 2.7% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a community like Bethel, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the community.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Bethel reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Bethel might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   41° 22' 11"   (or 41.37°)
  • Lon:   -73° 23' 22"   (or -73.39°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Bethel had 7,310 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 18,584 people, this averages 2.54 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Bethel had a land area of 16.89 square miles [43.7 km²]. This translates to 431.8 Housing Units per square mile [166.7 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Bethel had 6,653 Housing Units, a population of 18,067 people and a land area of 16.79 square miles [43.5 km²]. This gives a density of 2.72 people per Housing Unit and 393.9 Housing Units per square mile [152.1 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Bethel and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Fairfield County ...

The community of Bethel is located in Fairfield County<4>.

The county had a population of 916,829 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 18,584 people, Bethel represented 2.03% of the county's total.

In addition, where the community of Bethel has a population density of 1,097 people per square mile [423.9 people/km²], Fairfield County averages 1,467 people per square mile [566 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Fairfield County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Bethel, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Bethel. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Bethel or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Bethel, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Bethel.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   41.369778°   (or 41°22'11" N)
  • Lon:   -73.389503°   (or -73°23'22" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   41.379978°   (or 41°22'47" N)
  • Lon:   -73.401051°   (or -73°24'3" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 4,879 feet to the southeast<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#213390) to Bethel. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Bethel. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   41.374262°   (or 41°22'27" N)
  • Lon:   -73.395120°   (or -73°23'42" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 2,243 feet to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Bethel. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Bethel.

Miscellaneous Information for Bethel ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Fairfield County or the community of Bethel:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Bethel:
  • GNIS ID for Bethel: 213390
  • GNIS ID for Fairfield County: 212794
  • GNIS ID for State of Connecticut: 1779780

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 09 (Connecticut)
  • County Code: 001 (Fairfield County)
  • Place Code: 04720 (Bethel)
  • State & County Code: 09/001 (Connecticut / Fairfield County)
  • State & Place Code: 09/04720 (Connecticut / Bethel)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Bethel is located in Census Region #1 (the Northeast Region) and Division #1 (the New England Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Bethel.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bethel. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Connecticut: https://portal.ct.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)