What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

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	Brookfield	Douglas
People
Population	17,706Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 14% above U.S.	44±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brookfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Douglas 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 U.S.: 35.7%	41.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Douglas 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±$11kLowest 84% above U.S.	$152,267±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
	Douglas and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 44% above U.S.	$470,600±$29kLowest 41% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 34% above U.S.	$1,503±$697Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 143% above U.S.	$6,338Lowest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brookfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Douglas 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	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Brookfield School District	Douglas
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	7.2Lowest
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.