What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

Brookfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Dalton	Brookfield
People
Population	916Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.5±12.9Lowest about the NH average	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±11.3Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Dalton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	36.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,429±$36kHighest 18% below NH	$81,406±$31kLowest 18% below NH
	Dalton and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,400±$68kLowest 52% below NH	$428,000±$61kHighest 6% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$825 40% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,561Lowest 47% below NH	$5,926Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±83.7 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	19.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	5.9%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	13.7%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Brookfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.