What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	Dalton
People
Population	567Lowest	916Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-4.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH	44.5±12.9Lowest about the NH average
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.6%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±11.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Dalton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%	17.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%	5.1%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,406±$31kLowest 18% below NH	$81,429±$36kHighest 18% below NH
	Dalton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,000±$61kHighest 6% above NH	$191,400±$68kLowest 52% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$900±$825 40% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Highest 11% below NH	$3,561Lowest 47% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	57.7%±83.7 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	19.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	20 minLowest 26% below NH
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%	5.9%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.