What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bernardston has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Brooklyn has the highest household income ($96k).

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	Bernardston	Brooklyn
People
Population	2,164Lowest	8,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	49±3.2Highest 26% above U.S.	45.6±2.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Bernardston and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brooklyn and Bernardston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bernardston and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brooklyn and Bernardston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,940±$10kLowest about the U.S. average	$96,207±$15kHighest 19% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Bernardston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$332,000±$15kHighest about the U.S. average	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.
	Bernardston and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,283±$553Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Bernardston and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,516Lowest 45% above U.S.	$4,538Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±15.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.5%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bernardston and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	12.7%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bernardston and Brooklyn 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	—	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Pioneer Valley	Brooklyn School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.