Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brookhaven's standout: it is healthier than 97% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades C, 119th of 258 graded towns in Georgia. The median household earns $118K and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 93% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $743K, 8.3 years of the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. 71% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Brookhaven, above both Georgia’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (29%). Brookhaven is home to Oglethorpe University. Among 229 Georgia towns, just 2 have a higher typical home value than Brookhaven.
Where Brookhaven beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Brookhaven | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 14.5% |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Oglethorpe University | 1,521 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Brookhaven is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,365 in 1940, 55,161 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 5 maps from 1954 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brookhaven. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaMercedes-Benz Stadium
Big draw12 mi MountainStone Mountain
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaState Farm Arena
8 mi Stadium & arenaTruist Park
8 mi Zoo & aquariumGeorgia Aquarium
Big draw14 mi Theme parkSix Flags Over GeorgiaMercedes-Benz Stadium: Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0 · Stone Mountain: KyleAndMelissa22, Public domain · State Farm Arena: Hermann Luyken, CC0 · Truist Park: Thechased at English Wikipedia, CC BY 4.0 · Georgia Aquarium: Diliff, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags Over Georgia: hagerman, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brookhaven, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Brookhaven.
Brookhaven has less tooth loss than most of Georgia and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Georgia.
At 8.3 years of the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $743K) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $6,537, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Brookhaven’s median rent is $1,882 a month. The typical Brookhaven home is worth about $743,000, up 3.2% in a year, more than twice the Georgia typical home. 53% of households own their home in Brookhaven.
| Brookhaven | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,882 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 53% | 58% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 46% | 52% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the DeKalb County school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Robert Lewis Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 840 | D |
| Cross Keys High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,748 | D |
| Ashford Park Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 757 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
11 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The trail density in Brookhaven is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Murphey Candler Park, 127 acres with 2.6 miles of trail.
| Brookhaven | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Murphey Candler Park | 2.6 mi | 127 |
| 2. Blackburn Park | — | 51 |
| 3. Lenox Park | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Georgia is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
26% of Brookhaven adults have high blood pressure. Only 8 of the 261 Georgia towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Brookhaven. 18% of Brookhaven adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Brookhaven | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 38% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 40% | 36% |
| What stands out | Brookhaven | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.3% | 6.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.8% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 1,677 to 1,345 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Georgia, it does better than 41% of towns.
| Brookhaven | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 19.8 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Brookhaven has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2009, 28 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brookhaven.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29.5% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Georgia.
Most working residents leave Brookhaven for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Brookhaven grew to 34,974 in 2023, 7,421 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Atlanta (34%), Sandy Springs (9%) and Alpharetta (4%).
| Brookhaven | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 9.2% | 11% |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 9.2% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
26 within 15 miles of the center of Brookhaven
About 6 of every 100 Brookhaven residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Georgia.
City in Georgia, United States
Brookhaven, formerly North Atlanta, is a city in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta that is located in western DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, directly northeast of Atlanta. On July 31, 2012, Brookhaven was approved in a referendum to become DeKalb County's 11th city. Incorporation officially took place on December 17, 2012, on which date municipal operations commenced. The new city stretches over 12 square miles (31 km2). With a population of 56,795 as of the 2020 census, it is the second largest city located fully within DeKalb County, behind Stonecrest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Brookhaven.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | #119 | C | D− | C− | C− | A+ |
| Chamblee | #189 | D | D | D | C− | B |
| North Druid Hills | #65 | B− | D− | — | C− | A+ |
| Atlanta | #151 | C− | D | D | C+ | A− |
| Dunwoody | #108 | C+ | D | C− | C− | A+ |
| Sandy Springs | #23 | A− | D− | B− | A− | A+ |
North Druid Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Brookhaven with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brookhaven grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #119 of 258 in Georgia. It grades A+ for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Georgia, it does better than 41% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
