What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the highest household income ($148k).

Willimantic has the most affordable homes ($191k 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	Willimantic
People
Population	17,706Lowest	18,096Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.3% CT: +0.9%
Median age	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT	31.3±2.7Lowest 24% below CT
Kids under 18	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	20.6%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Willimantic 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%	11%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	24.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	19.1%±2.1Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,360±$11kHighest 55% above CT	$45,962±$7kLowest 52% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT	$190,900±$17kLowest 48% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT	$1,063±$68Lowest 29% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,594Highest 14% above CT	$4,678Lowest 30% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	55.9%±8.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Willimantic 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%	23.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	34.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1953Lowest 14 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	23 minLowest 12% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±3Highest CT: 16%	6.2%±2Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Brookfield School District	—
High school in town	Brookfield High School	—
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.