Compare towns
West Brookfield vs Windham vs New Braintree
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
West Brookfield has the oldest population (median age 58.5).
Windham has the shortest commute (27 min average).
New Braintree has the most expensive homes ($409k 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.
| Measure | West Brookfield | Windham | New Braintree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,859Highest |
594Lowest |
973 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | -0.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 58.5±3.2Highest 50% above U.S. |
44.2±7.4Lowest 14% above U.S. |
47.8±4.6 23% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 13%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
17.5%±7.9 U.S.: 22% |
20%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
| New Braintree and Windham 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% |
23.2%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
25.6%±2.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
41.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.2%±1 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| New Braintree and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $95,613±$12k 18% above U.S. |
$94,500±$12kLowest 17% above U.S. |
$99,500±$8kHighest 23% above U.S. |
| New Braintree 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±$21k 6% above U.S. |
$353,900±$20kLowest 6% above U.S. |
$408,800±$27kHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,236±$271Lowest 13% below U.S. |
— | $1,484±$316Highest 5% above U.S. |
| New Braintree and West Brookfield 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. |
$5,951Highest 91% above U.S. |
$5,508 77% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.3%±18.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
41.2%±94 U.S.: 51.1% |
51.4%±51.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| New Braintree and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
82.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
89.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S. |
1982 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 42 minHighest 58% above U.S. |
27 minLowest about the U.S. average |
37 min 39% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 18.9%±15 U.S.: 15.1% |
20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
7.4%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Windham and West Brookfield 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 | — | — |
| School district | Quaboag Regional | — | Quabbin |
| High school in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.