What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most kids (22.7% under 18).

Columbia has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Columbia
People
Population	17,706Highest	5,300Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia 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%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia 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%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia 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	$127,000±$30kLowest 33% above CT
	Brookfield and Columbia 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	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Brookfield and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia 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	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Columbia School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	None in town
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.