What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most people working from home (13.7%).

Millinocket has the most affordable homes ($100k 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	Millinocket
People
Population	567Lowest	3,779Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-8.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 49% above U.S.	57.5±7.3Lowest 48% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Millinocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	12.1%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Millinocket 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 U.S.: 17.2%	39.4%±8.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Millinocket 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 U.S.: 35.7%	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookfield and Millinocket 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 about the U.S. average	$50,445±$11kLowest 38% below U.S.
	Brookfield and Millinocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,000±$61kHighest 29% above U.S.	$99,800±$24kLowest 70% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$451±$130 68% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Highest 90% above U.S.	$1,538Lowest 51% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	20.5%±11 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#98 of 133 in ME
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.