What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooklyn has the shortest commute (27 min average).

Portland has the most people working from home (18.5%).

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	Portland
People
Population	8,517Highest	5,944Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.8% CT: +0.9%
Median age	45.6±2.5Highest 11% above CT	41.2±2.6Lowest about the CT average
	Brooklyn and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.6Highest CT: 20.2%	19.2%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Brooklyn and Portland 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%	19.3%±3.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Portland 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%	46.1%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	9.3%±4.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Portland 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±$15kHighest about the CT average	$89,401±$21kLowest 7% below CT
	Brooklyn and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kHighest 14% below CT	$282,300±$13kLowest 23% below CT
	Brooklyn and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Highest 24% below CT	$1,122±$59Lowest 25% below CT
	Brooklyn and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 32% below CT	$5,597Highest 16% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	49.7%±21.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Portland 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 CT: 10%	4.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	77%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	31 minHighest 15% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%	18.5%±5.6Highest CT: 16%
	Portland 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	#61 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.