What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($295k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

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	Pittsfield	Brookline
People
Population	4,105Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+13%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±5.1Highest 4% below NH	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH
	Pittsfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±6Lowest NH: 18.2%	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Brookline and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±4.6Highest NH: 20.1%	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,318±$14kLowest 25% below NH	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,800±$30kLowest 27% below NH	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,239±$182Lowest 17% below NH	$2,500±$1kHighest 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,694Lowest 15% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.5%±27.3Highest NH: 48.2%	23.8%±43.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Pittsfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the NH average	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	11.6%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#93 of 120 in NH	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Pittsfield School District	Brookline School District
High school in town	Pittsfield High School	None in town
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.