What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ridgefield has the most people working from home (29.7%).

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	Ridgefield
People
Population	17,706Lowest	25,109Highest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	45.1±1.4Highest 10% above CT
	Ridgefield and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ridgefield and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Brookfield and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Ridgefield 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 55% above CT	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kLowest 31% above CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Lowest 27% above CT	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT
	Ridgefield and Brookfield 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	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ridgefield 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%	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 149 in CT	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Ridgefield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.4Lowest
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.