What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Preston has the highest household income ($117k).

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	Preston
People
Population	3,460Lowest	4,821Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.4±2.1Highest 35% above U.S.	46.2±7Lowest 19% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Preston 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%	18.7%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Preston 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%	23%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookfield and Preston 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	$116,648±$27kHighest 44% above U.S.
	Preston 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	$361,900±$13kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Preston 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.	$1,433±$1kHighest about the U.S. average
	Preston and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,092Highest 63% above U.S.	$4,749Lowest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±11.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.6%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Preston and Brookfield 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%	2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	12%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Preston 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	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Brookfield	Preston 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.