What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Brookfield has the most people working from home (18.9%).

Brooklyn has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	West Brookfield	Brooklyn
People
Population	3,859Lowest	8,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	58.5±3.2Highest 50% above U.S.	45.6±2.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brooklyn and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.9%±6.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,613±$12kLowest 18% above U.S.	$96,207±$15kHighest 19% above U.S.
	Brooklyn and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$354,000±$21kHighest 6% above U.S.	$315,200±$28kLowest 5% below U.S.
	West Brookfield and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,236±$271Highest 13% below U.S.	$1,125±$98Lowest 20% below U.S.
	West Brookfield and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,260Lowest 37% above U.S.	$4,538Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.3%±18.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	38.5%±19.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brooklyn and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 58% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	18.9%±15Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	West Brookfield and Brooklyn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#162 of 282 in MA	#113 of 149 in CT
School district	Quaboag Regional	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.