What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklyn has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

Ashby has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	Brooklyn	Ashby
People
Population	8,517Highest	3,211Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.9% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±2.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	50.5±3Highest 30% above U.S.
	Ashby and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brooklyn and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.5%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ashby and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brooklyn and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,207±$15kLowest 19% above U.S.	$115,598±$9kHighest 43% above U.S.
	Ashby and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.	$390,500±$30kHighest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,200±$484Highest 15% below U.S.
	Ashby and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.	$6,034Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±53.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brooklyn and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	2.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ashby and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 149 in CT	#200 of 282 in MA
School district	Brooklyn School District	North Middlesex
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.