What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brighton has the most affordable homes ($164k 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	Brighton	Brookfield
People
Population	1,167Lowest	1,486Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.2±11.6Lowest 5% above VT	47±5.9Highest 9% above VT
	Brookfield and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brookfield and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.7%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brookfield and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	45.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	3.2%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Brighton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,375±$21kLowest 42% below VT	$98,500±$23kHighest 21% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,900±$39kLowest 48% below VT	$339,300±$15kHighest 7% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$33Lowest 37% below VT	$975±$306Highest 21% below VT
	Brookfield and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,360Lowest 33% below VT	$4,560Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55%±17Highest VT: 48.4%	30.4%±27.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brighton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 41% above VT	37 minHighest 55% above VT
Work from home	12.4%±8.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Brookfield and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Brighton 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

VT 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.