What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brockton has the most affordable homes ($438k median).

Windham has the most people working from home (21.9%).

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	Brockton	Windham
People
Population	105,386Highest	16,038Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.7±0.8Lowest 6% below U.S.	41.1±2.9Highest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	25.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Brockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windham and Brockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brockton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,115±$3kLowest about the U.S. average	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$437,500±$8kLowest 31% above U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,641±$52Lowest 16% above U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,820Lowest 55% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±4.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brockton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#279 of 282 in MA	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Brockton	Windham School District
High school in town	Brockton High	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	17.0Highest	12.8Lowest
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.