What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklyn has the shortest commute (27 min average).

Crystal Lake has the most people working from home (17.5%).

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	Brooklyn	Crystal Lake
People
Population	8,517Highest	2,024Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+10.6% CT: +0.9%
Median age	45.6±2.5Lowest 11% above CT	48.9±7.6Highest 19% above CT
	Crystal Lake and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.5%±7.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Crystal Lake 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 CT: 18.5%	23.3%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Crystal Lake 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 CT: 42.5%	45.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.3%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Crystal Lake and Brooklyn 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 about the CT average	$143,882±$29kHighest 50% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kLowest 14% below CT	$361,800±$35kHighest about the CT average
	Crystal Lake and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98 24% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 32% below CT	$7,146Highest 8% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Highest CT: 52.6%	0%±93.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Brooklyn and Crystal Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Highest CT: 10%	1.7%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	39 minHighest 47% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%	17.5%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Crystal Lake 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	—
School district	Brooklyn School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.