What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

Brookfield has the most kids (22.7% under 18).

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	Durham	Brookfield
People
Population	7,208Lowest	17,706Highest
Median age	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT	44.3±1.8Lowest 8% above CT
	Durham and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Brookfield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	Brookfield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.3%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Brookfield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT	$148,360±$11kLowest 55% above CT
	Durham and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kLowest 16% above CT	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,998Highest 20% above CT	$7,594Lowest 14% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%	4.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	86.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	28 minHighest 6% above CT
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%	16.3%±3Lowest CT: 16%
	Durham and Brookfield 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	#88 of 149 in CT	#67 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Brookfield School District
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Brookfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	12.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.