What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brownfield has the most expensive homes ($288k median).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($123k median).

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	Brownfield	Springfield
People
Population	1,830Highest	310Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	39.9±6.8Lowest 11% below ME	52.4±7Highest 17% above ME
	Springfield and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Brownfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	21.6%±5.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Springfield and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.7%±0.9Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Brownfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,889±$5kHighest 19% below ME	$60,833±$23kLowest 19% below ME
	Brownfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$287,500±$36kHighest 3% below ME	$122,500±$28kLowest 59% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,617±$554 42% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,976Highest about the ME average	$1,067Lowest 65% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.8%±43.7 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987 10 yrs newer than ME	1987 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	44 minHighest 80% above ME	30 minLowest 21% above ME
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.6%±5.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Springfield and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 72/MSAD 72	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.