What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most expensive homes ($480k median).

East Hampton has the most affordable homes ($349k 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	East Hampton
People
Population	17,706Highest	12,925Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT	43.6±3.7Lowest 6% above CT
	Brookfield and East Hampton 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%	21.4%±3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and East Hampton 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%	20.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	East Hampton 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%	39%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.2%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%
	East Hampton 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	$124,577±$11kLowest 30% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$349,000±$14kLowest 5% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,393±$150Lowest 6% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$6,681Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	48.7%±16.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	East Hampton 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%	4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	85.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	30 minHighest 11% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	12.7%±2.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Brookfield and East Hampton 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	#75 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	East Hampton School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	East Hampton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.3Lowest
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.