What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sterling has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Sterling
People
Population	17,706Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Brookfield and Sterling 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%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling 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%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Brookfield and Sterling 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%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Brookfield and Sterling 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	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183 27% above CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Brookfield and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Brookfield and Sterling 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	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Sterling 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.