What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most homeowners (98.4%).

Laconia has the most kids (18.4% 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	Laconia
People
Population	567Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Brookfield and Laconia 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%	18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,406±$31kHighest 18% below NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
	Brookfield and Laconia 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	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,224±$107 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Highest 11% below NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	54.5%±10.2 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Brookfield and Laconia 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	—	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Laconia School District
High school in town	—	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
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.