What stands out worked out from the figures below

Princeton has the most people working from home (29.5%).

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	Princeton	Brooklyn
People
Population	3,529Lowest	8,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.1±7Highest 19% above U.S.	45.6±2.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Princeton and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Princeton and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Princeton and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,750±$46kHighest 97% above U.S.	$96,207±$15kLowest 19% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$520,500±$48kHighest 56% above U.S.	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$897±$852Lowest 37% below U.S.	$1,125±$98Highest 20% below U.S.
	Brooklyn and Princeton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,633Highest 113% above U.S.	$4,538Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.8%±46.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.5%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Princeton and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	29.5%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#59 of 282 in MA	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Wachusett	Brooklyn School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.