What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Torrington has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Torrington
People
Population	17,706Lowest	35,547Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.4% CT: +0.9%
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT	42.9±1.8Lowest 4% above CT
	Brookfield and Torrington 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%	17.9%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.2%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Torrington 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%	24.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.7%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Torrington 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	$70,856±$5kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,169±$43Lowest 21% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	48%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Torrington 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%	13.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	66.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 149 in CT	#132 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District
High school in town	Brookfield High School	Torrington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.9Lowest
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.