What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melrose has the most people working from home (29.6%).

Brooklyn has the most affordable homes ($315k 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	Melrose	Brooklyn
People
Population	29,650Highest	8,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.6±1.1Lowest 12% above U.S.	45.6±2.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brooklyn and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Melrose and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brooklyn and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.	$96,207±$15kLowest 19% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.5%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Melrose and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 282 in MA	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Melrose	Brooklyn School District
High school in town	Melrose High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.