Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brooklyn is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 117th among Connecticut's 151 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $96K. It also does better than most on health: it is healthier than 71% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 67% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $315K, 3.5 years of the Putnam area’s $91K median household income. Only 14 of Connecticut’s 175 towns score lower on walkability. Brooklyn’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile, below both Connecticut’s towns (1.3) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 5 of Connecticut’s 175 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Where Brooklyn beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,254 in 1820, a low of 1,254 in 1820, 8,450 in 2020. The archive holds 33 old photos and papers going back to 1940 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Brooklyn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brooklyn, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Brooklyn.
Most working residents leave Brooklyn for work: only 9% work in town. 2.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Brooklyn, against 5.8% in Connecticut’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Brooklyn grew to 1,424 in 2023, 298 more than in 2013.
| Brooklyn | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Brooklyn School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 469 | C+ |
| Learning Clinic PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 2–12 | Grades 2–12 | 26 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests
Within Connecticut it is less healthy than 78% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar.
38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Brooklyn. Brooklyn beats the Connecticut average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 12% of adults smoke cigarettes in Brooklyn.
| Brooklyn | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 9.7% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Brooklyn | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 14.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 7.7% | 10% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 12.7% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Brooklyn has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 18° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.9 miles of trail in 14 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Quinebaug Property, at 228 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Davis Forest | 1.9 mi | 181 |
| 2. Quinebaug Property | 0.9 mi | 228 |
| 3. Natchaug State Forest | — | 144 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brooklyn.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Brooklyn’s median rent is $1,125 a month.
| Brooklyn | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,125 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brooklyn. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
34 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
39 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
22 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun Arena
40 mi MuseumThe Elms
37 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Brooklyn
About 5 of every 100 Brooklyn residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
Where Brooklyn’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Brooklyn on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Brooklyn.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 8,450 at the 2020 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place. The district of East Brooklyn is listed as a separate census-designated place.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Brooklyn.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | #117 | C+ | C+ | — | C | B+ |
| Killingly | #138 | D | B− | — | C− | B− |
| East Brooklyn | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Plainfield | #103 | B− | C+ | A+ | C | B− |
| Danielson | #147 | D− | D | — | C− | C+ |
| Pomfret | #69 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A |
| Wauregan | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hampton | — | — | B− | — | C | B+ |
Hampton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Brooklyn, Killingly, Danielson, Pomfret and Hampton report no FBI crime data of their own. East Brooklyn and Wauregan aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Brooklyn with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brooklyn grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #117 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades B+ for health and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $315,000, 30% below the Connecticut typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Elijah Paine and Daniel Tyler.
_-_2025.svg){kind=link}