What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the highest household income ($148k).

Beacon Falls has the most affordable homes ($350k median).

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	Brookfield	Beacon Falls
People
Population	17,706Highest	6,147Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	48.4±3.8Highest 18% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	18%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	44.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.3%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,360±$11kHighest 55% above CT	$101,516±$42kLowest 6% above CT
	Brookfield and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$350,300±$34kLowest 5% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Lowest 27% above CT	$1,921±$286Highest 29% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$6,534Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	50.7%±30.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest CT: 10%	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	85.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1985Highest 18 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%	20.3%±7.4Highest CT: 16%
	Beacon Falls and Brookfield 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	#67 of 149 in CT	#77 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Regional School District 16
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Woodland Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.