What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklyn has the highest household income ($96k).

Athol has the most affordable homes ($268k 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	Brooklyn	Athol
People
Population	8,517Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±2.5Highest 17% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Brooklyn 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%	19.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athol 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brooklyn and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,207±$15kHighest 19% above U.S.	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kHighest 5% below U.S.	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,150±$182Highest 19% below U.S.
	Athol and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Highest 45% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Brooklyn 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%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brooklyn and Athol 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	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Brooklyn School District	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	None in town	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.6
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.