What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the youngest population (median age 44.3).

Guilford has the most people working from home (21.7%).

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	Guilford
People
Population	17,706Lowest	22,108Highest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	51.1±1.9Highest 24% above CT
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	20.8%±2.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Guilford 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%	26.6%±2.7Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%	60.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Brookfield and Guilford 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	$137,816±$11kLowest 44% above CT
	Brookfield and Guilford 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	$515,800±$40kHighest 41% above CT
	Guilford and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,717±$128Lowest 15% above CT
	Brookfield and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Lowest 14% above CT	$8,744Highest 32% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	47.4%±9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Guilford 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%	2.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%	21.7%±3.3Highest CT: 16%
	Guilford 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	#15 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Guilford School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Guilford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.8Lowest
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.