What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Reading
People
Population	8,517Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±2.5Highest 17% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Reading 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%	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading 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%	20.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Reading 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%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,207±$15kLowest 19% above U.S.	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brooklyn and Reading 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%	3.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 149 in CT	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Brooklyn School District	Reading
High school in town	None in town	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.1
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.