What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Candlewood Orchards has the most homeowners (95.7%).

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	Candlewood Orchards
People
Population	17,706Highest	900Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT	43.3±4.8Lowest 5% above CT
	Brookfield and Candlewood Orchards are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.6%±9.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Candlewood Orchards and Brookfield 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%	24.1%±6.6Highest CT: 18.5%
	Candlewood Orchards 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%	57.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%	2.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Brookfield and Candlewood Orchards 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	$131,250±$101kLowest 37% above CT
	Brookfield and Candlewood Orchards are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kLowest 31% above CT	$502,500±$115kHighest 37% above CT
	Candlewood Orchards and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183 27% above CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$7,529Lowest 13% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±100Highest CT: 52.6%
	Candlewood Orchards 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%	1.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	95.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1959Lowest 8 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	34 minHighest 27% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	8.1%±6.9Lowest CT: 16%
	Brookfield and Candlewood Orchards 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	—
School district	Brookfield School District	—
High school in town	Brookfield High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	—
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.