What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wilder has grown the fastest since 2010 (+81.7%).

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	Wilder
People
Population	567Lowest	3,087Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+81.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.1±9.7Highest 49% above U.S.	45.5±8.9Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Wilder 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%	11.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wilder 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 U.S.: 17.2%	27.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±3.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wilder and Brookfield 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	$75,143±$9kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Brookfield and Wilder 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.	$273,200±$18kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,142±$451 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,926Highest 90% above U.S.	$5,505Lowest 76% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	39.9%±17.2 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	62.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	17 minLowest 37% below U.S.
Work from home	13.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.6%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.