What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most people working from home (12%).

Colebrook has the highest household income ($111k).

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	Colebrook
People
Population	3,460Highest	1,494Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.4±2.1Highest 35% above U.S.	52.1±5Lowest 34% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.4%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.9%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Colebrook and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.4%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookfield and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,250±$37kLowest about the U.S. average	$111,250±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.
	Colebrook and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$341,900±$23kLowest about the U.S. average	$342,800±$19kHighest 3% above U.S.
	Colebrook and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,014±$161Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,333±$626Highest 6% below U.S.
	Colebrook and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,092Lowest 63% above U.S.	$6,211Highest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±11.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±55Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brookfield and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 23% above U.S.	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Colebrook 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	#109 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Brookfield	Colebrook School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.