What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Brookfield has the most people working from home (12%).

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	Cheshire	Brookfield
People
Population	3,216Lowest	3,460Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 34% above MA	52.4±2.1Lowest 31% above MA
	Cheshire and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Highest MA: 19.4%	13.4%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Cheshire and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest MA: 17.9%	28.4%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Cheshire and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	28.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.2%±3.2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Brookfield and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 33% below MA	$81,250±$37kHighest 22% below MA
	Brookfield and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 52% below MA	$341,900±$23kHighest 39% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,014±$161 42% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 50% below MA	$5,092Highest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.7%±11.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Brookfield and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest MA: 10%	8.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	87.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	12%±5.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Brookfield and Cheshire 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	#274 of 282 in MA	#109 of 282 in MA
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Brookfield
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.