What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklyn has the most affordable homes ($315k median).

Paxton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Paxton
People
Population	8,517Highest	5,002Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±2.5Highest 17% above U.S.	41.8±3.3Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Paxton 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%	17.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brooklyn and Paxton 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%	18.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Paxton 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%	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,207±$15kLowest 19% above U.S.	$134,083±$8kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.	$472,300±$29kHighest 42% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,386±$88Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.	$7,129Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	26.2%±15.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brooklyn and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.5%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 149 in CT	#219 of 282 in MA
School district	Brooklyn School District	Wachusett
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.