What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hamden has the most affordable homes ($298k median).

Brookfield has the most expensive homes ($480k 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	Hamden	Brookfield
People
Population	61,045Highest	17,706Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	44.3±1.8Highest 8% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.7%±3Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.1%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	Brookfield and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.3%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$148,360±$11kHighest 55% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$479,700±$24kHighest 31% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Lowest 17% above CT	$1,892±$183Highest 27% above CT
	Brookfield and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Highest 17% above CT	$7,594Lowest 14% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%	35.9%±13.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest CT: 10%	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	28 minHighest 6% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1 CT: 16%	16.3%±3 CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#67 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Brookfield School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Brookfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	12.7Lowest
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.