What stands out worked out from the figures below

Albany has the most affordable homes ($248k median).

Brookfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Albany	Brookfield
People
Population	790Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.5±9.7Lowest 7% above NH	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH
	Brookfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.3%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Albany and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.8%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	36.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Lowest NH: 6%	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,639±$19kLowest 32% below NH	$81,406±$31kHighest 18% below NH
	Brookfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$248,300±$68kLowest 38% below NH	$428,000±$61kHighest 6% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,194±$112 20% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,554Lowest 62% below NH	$5,926Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.2%±97.7 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	14.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	16.2%±18.5Highest NH: 16.8%	13.7%±6.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Albany and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.