What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Brookfield has the most people working from home (27.3%).

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	Alstead	Brookfield
People
Population	1,551Highest	1,486Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	47±5.9Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Alstead and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brookfield and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.7%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.2%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Alstead and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 20% below U.S.	$98,500±$23kHighest 22% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$339,300±$15kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$975±$306 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 71% above U.S.	$4,560Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.4%±27.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.3%±10.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.