What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stark has the most affordable homes ($198k median).

Brookfield has the most people working from home (27.3%).

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	Stark	Brookfield
People
Population	419Lowest	1,486Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.8±3.6Highest 51% above U.S.	47±5.9Lowest 21% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.1%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brookfield and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.7%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookfield and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.2%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stark and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,750±$23kLowest 11% below U.S.	$98,500±$23kHighest 22% above U.S.
	Brookfield and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$197,700±$34kLowest 41% below U.S.	$339,300±$15kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$975±$306 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,636Lowest 15% below U.S.	$4,560Highest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.4%±27.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stark and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 28% above U.S.	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.3%±10.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brookfield and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stark School District	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
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.