What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookfield has the most people working from home (27.3%).

Bakersfield has the most affordable homes ($271k 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	Bakersfield
People
Population	1,486Highest	1,109Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7% VT: +2.8%	-3.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47±5.9Highest 9% above VT	46.4±8Lowest 8% above VT
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9%	13.6%±3.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%	21.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	39.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	7.5%±4.7Highest VT: 7%
	Bakersfield and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,500±$23kHighest 21% above VT	$83,462±$18kLowest about the VT average
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$339,300±$15kHighest 7% above VT	$271,300±$19kLowest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$975±$306Lowest 21% below VT	$1,200±$327Highest about the VT average
	Bakersfield and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,560Highest 10% below VT	$3,823Lowest 24% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.4%±27.8Highest VT: 48.4%	18.8%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	94%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 55% above VT	33 minLowest 40% above VT
Work from home	27.3%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%	14.2%±7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Brookfield and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.