What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Madison has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

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	Madison
People
Population	1,486Lowest	2,680Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47±5.9Lowest 21% above U.S.	50.3±9.7Highest 29% above U.S.
	Madison and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±6.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Madison and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Madison 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 U.S.: 35.7%	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookfield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,500±$23kLowest 22% above U.S.	$102,697±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.
	Madison and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$339,300±$15kLowest about the U.S. average	$388,700±$36kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Madison and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$975±$306Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,556±$256Highest 10% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,560Highest 46% above U.S.	$4,074Lowest 31% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.4%±27.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	69.2%±46Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Madison and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	27.3%±10.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Madison School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.