What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Preston has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Preston
People
Population	17,706Highest	4,821Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	46.2±7Highest 12% above CT
	Preston 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%	18.7%±4.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Preston 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%	23%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Preston 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%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Preston 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	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% above CT
	Brookfield and Preston 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	$361,900±$13kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,433±$1kLowest 4% below CT
	Brookfield and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston 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%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%
	Brookfield and Preston 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	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Preston 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.