What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most expensive homes ($428k median).

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k 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	Dorchester
People
Population	567Highest	410Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH	56±10.5Lowest 29% above NH
	Brookfield and Dorchester 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%	11.2%±4.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Dorchester and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	38.4%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,406±$31k 18% below NH	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,000±$61kHighest 6% above NH	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Highest 11% below NH	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	0%±100 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	96.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the NH average	40 minHighest 50% above NH
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Brookfield and Dorchester 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.