What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most kids (22.7% under 18).

Suffield has the most affordable homes ($408k 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	Suffield
People
Population	17,706Highest	15,702Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT	44.5±1.7Highest 8% above CT
	Suffield 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%	16.2%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	18.4%±2.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Brookfield and Suffield 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%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Suffield 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	$119,472±$13kLowest 25% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$407,500±$26kLowest 11% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,424±$141Lowest 4% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$6,456Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	51%±4.6Highest CT: 52.6%
	Suffield 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 CT: 10%	4.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	26 minLowest 3% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%	18.4%±4.1Highest CT: 16%
	Suffield 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	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Suffield School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.9Lowest
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.