What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most kids (19.5% 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	Lyme
People
Population	567Lowest	1,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Brookfield and Lyme 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%	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Lyme 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	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,000±$61kLowest 6% above NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,418±$130 5% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Lowest 11% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	52.8%±29.8 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	—	Lyme School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.