What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Topsfield has the most people working from home (29.4%).

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	Topsfield
People
Population	8,517Highest	6,564Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±2.5Highest 17% above U.S.	42.2±1.8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Topsfield 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%	24.8%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Topsfield 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%	22.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Topsfield 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%	71.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brooklyn and Topsfield 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 19% above U.S.	$195,718±$16kHighest 142% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.	$853,400±$40kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$98Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,115±$538Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Brooklyn and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±40.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Topsfield 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%	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 149 in CT	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Brooklyn School District	Topsfield
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.