What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.4%).

Scituate has the highest household income ($112k).

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	Scituate
People
Population	3,460Lowest	10,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.4±2.1Highest 35% above U.S.	49.9±4Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Scituate 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%	14.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Scituate 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%	25.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Scituate 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%	34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookfield and Scituate 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	$112,315±$23kHighest 39% above U.S.
	Scituate 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	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,014±$161Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,092Lowest 63% above U.S.	$5,265Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±11.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate 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%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scituate 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	#109 of 282 in MA	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Brookfield	Scituate
High school in town	None in town	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.8
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.