What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the highest household income ($148k).

Northbridge has the most renters (29.5% rent).

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	Northbridge
People
Population	17,706Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 14% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Northbridge 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%	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brookfield and Northbridge 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%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Northbridge 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%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,360±$11kHighest 84% above U.S.	$111,319±$19kLowest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 44% above U.S.	$448,600±$15kLowest 35% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Northbridge 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.	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 143% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Brookfield 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%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Northbridge 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	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Brookfield School District	Northbridge
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.8Lowest
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.