What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rye has the most expensive homes ($1028k median).

Brookfield has the most affordable homes ($428k 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	Rye	Brookfield
People
Population	5,611Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.1±3Lowest 27% above NH	58.1±9.7Highest 34% above NH
	Brookfield and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	31.7%±5.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	38.4%±3.4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Brookfield and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	36.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	5.5%±5Highest NH: 6%
	Brookfield and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,655±$39kHighest 42% above NH	$81,406±$31kLowest 18% below NH
	Rye and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 155% above NH	$428,000±$61kLowest 6% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,781±$156 19% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,519Highest 13% above NH	$5,926Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±16.1 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	30.9%±7.6Highest NH: 16.8%	13.7%±6.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#2 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Rye School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.