What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

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	Westford	Brookfield
People
Population	2,290Highest	1,486Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.1±8.6Lowest about the VT average	47±5.9Highest 9% above VT
	Brookfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.6Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brookfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.7%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	45.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.5%±4.6Highest VT: 7%	3.2%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Westford and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,750±$12kHighest 39% above VT	$98,500±$23kLowest 21% above VT
	Westford and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kHighest 34% above VT	$339,300±$15kLowest 7% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,375±$1kHighest 92% above VT	$975±$306Lowest 21% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,282Highest 25% above VT	$4,560Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.8%±31Lowest VT: 48.4%	30.4%±27.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Brookfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	6.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 42% above VT	37 minHighest 55% above VT
Work from home	19.1%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Brookfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51	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

VT 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.