CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.67° N · 75.71° W · GEOID 1009850

Brookside

New Castle County, Delaware · part of the Philadelphia, PA metro

DelawareBrookside, DEBrooksideBrookside

The short answer

Brookside is home to 15,115 people. Median household income is $78,328 a year and median rent is $1,444 a month, 22.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $279,700, about 3.6x annual median household income.

The story in Brookside is how fast things are changing. Rent took 25.8% of the median income in the 2019 survey and 22.1% in 2024. In the 25 places most like it the share fell 0.1 points on average, so affordability held up better here. Also notable: Owning with a mortgage costs only about $155 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 89% of places its size.

23OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Brookside scores better than 23% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 14th of 21 in Delaware.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%47
Economy 20%38
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%24
Education 10%44
Commute 10%48
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,444
6% above the median place
Median household income
$78,328
2% below the median place
Median home value
$279,700
12% below the median place
Unemployment
6.1%
24% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Brookside

  • Life nearbyOpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 21 Delaware places we track.
01

Moving to Brookside

New Castle County gains about 1.1 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in19,894
Moved out19,383
Net+511

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Delaware County, PA1,9971,243+754
Chester County, PA1,0831,179−96
Cecil County, MD8781,151−273
Kings County, NY358

Within Delaware, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within DelawareOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$77K
Leavers$79K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of New Castle County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
2.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.8% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into New Castle County report $77,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $79,000.
Income you would need
$57,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,444 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,599 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $279,700.
Getting to work
25 minutes each way on average; 14.5% work from home; 3.0% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Naugatuck, CT matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
2.6%
54% below the median place
Moved from another state1
3.8%
92% above the median place
Income of households moving out7
$79,034
12% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year12.6%54% below
Moved from another state1County figure3.8%92% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure1.1above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$77,49710% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$79,03412% above
02

What it costs to live here

Homeowners pay a median of about 0.6% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 79% of the 2,101 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Brookside22.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$57,760
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
22.1%
8% above the median place
Home price to income
3.6x
6% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
22%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$60,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Brookside, $1,444 a month, and local prices for everything else (100.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Brookside, but easier on the budget

Places that match Brookside on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Naugatuck, CT9517.1% vs 22.1%$17,600Compare
Quakertown, PA9318.4% vs 22.1%$9,100Compare
Dexter, MO9217.8% vs 22.1%n/aCompare
Birdsboro, PA9115.9% vs 22.1%$12,200Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Brookside.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Brookside? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
3.6%
50% below the median place
Property tax rate1
0.6%
30% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,779
45% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,4446% above
Rent to income122.1%8% above
Property tax rate10.6%30% below
Home price to income13.6x6% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure102.52% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,86015% above
HUD area median income4County figure$122,70014% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,77945% below
Median home value1$279,70012% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure2.8%12% below
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure49.7%3% below
Homeownership161.8%7% below
Renters paying 30%+157.5%14% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,59915% below
Vacant homes13.6%50% below
Median year built119681% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 3.0%, 251% above the median place.

Commutes by transit1
3.0%
251% above the median place
Unemployment1
6.1%
24% above the median place
Poverty rate1
14.6%
35% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home14.5% +17%
Income per person$38,831 −3%
Median household income$78,328 −2%
Mean commute25 min +2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$78,3282% below
Income per person1$38,8313% below
Unemployment16.1%24% above
Average annual pay6County figure$83,95927% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.5%22% above
Jobs6County figure306,171103% above
Poverty rate114.6%35% above
Mean commute125 min2% above
Works from home114.5%17% above
Commutes by transit13.0%251% above
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 19.7%, 123% above the median place.

Born abroad1
19.7%
123% above the median place
Median age1
36.1
7% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
94.6%
2% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance8.4% +31%
Household size2.6 +3%
Bachelor's or higher29.1% −9%
High school or higher91.7% −1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population115,1152971st largest
Median age136.17% below
Bachelor's or higher129.1%9% below
High school or higher191.7%1% below
Household size12.63% above
Born abroad119.7%123% above
No health insurance18.4%31% above
Homes with broadband194.6%2% above
05

Life in Brookside

About 0 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, fewer than in 84% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 21 Delaware places we track.

421 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 13 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents5.3 −48%
Playgrounds per 10k5.3 −44%
Grocery stores per 10k0.7 −69%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k5.3 −53%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.3 11.0×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • First State National Historical Park 8 miles
  • Valley Forge National Historical Park 33 miles
  • Benjamin Franklin National Memorial 35 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.9 +5%
Shops34.6 +14%
Arts, recreation and fitness5.7 +39%
Doctors' offices and clinics21.0 +4%
Child care centers3.9 +70%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site10
8.0
74% below the median place
Child care centers per 10k8
3.9
70% above the median place
Public school students12
78,534
above the median place (median 4,897)
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure129above (median 9)
Public school students12County figure78,534above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher12County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure21.95% above
Shops per 10k8County figure34.614% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure5.739% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure21.04% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.970% above
Parks per 10k95.348% below
Playgrounds per 10k95.344% below
Grocery stores per 10k90.769% below
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k95.353% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi92.3above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site108.074% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1010400% above
National Register listings11County figure421above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

Hurricane risk is 88.4, 25% above the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Brookside. Larger places are fetched first.

Hurricane risk14
88.4
25% above the median place
Heat wave risk14
95.3
6% above the median place
Natural hazard risk14
95.3
3% above the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureBrooksideAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high13County figure87°F0% above
January average low13County figure25°F0% below
Average temperature13County figure55°F1% above
Annual precipitation13County figure46.1 in5% above
Natural hazard risk14County figure95.33% above
Hurricane risk14County figure88.425% above
Tornado risk14County figure88.18% above
Wildfire risk14County figure60.61% below
Heat wave risk14County figure95.36% above
Median air quality index15County figure442% above
Good air days15County figure64.4%6% below
08

Brookside in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 22% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Brookside does better than 49% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 34%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,444/mo (2024)$1,830/mo$1,500 to $2,230/mo+4.0%
Median household income$78,328 (2024)$100,000$84,500 to $118,000+4.1%
Median home value$279,700 (2024)$397,000$288,000 to $547,000+6.0%

The median home would be worth 4.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.6 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Brookside

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
West Haven, CT$1,442$74,382Compare
Southaven, MS$1,445$78,483Compare
Kannapolis, NC$1,319$73,836Compare
Hampton, VA$1,427$69,621Compare
Hampton, VAKannapolis, NCSouthaven, MSWest Haven, CTBrookside, DEBrooksideWest HavenSouthavenKannapolisHamptonBrooksideWest HavenSouthavenHampton

Places built like Brookside

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Brookside performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Brookside, DE22.1%6.0%/yrn/a
Coral Hills, MD31.3%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Ferndale, MD25.6%5.6%/yrn/aCompare
Lochearn, MD23.5%3.0%/yrn/aCompare
Woodlawn, MD21.7%3.7%/yrn/aCompare
Laurel, VA26.3%4.5%/yrn/aCompare
Lockhart, FL28.6%5.4%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Brookside a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 23 out of 100, better than 23% of the places we rate and 14th of 21 in Delaware. OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 86% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 21 Delaware places we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 38 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Brookside expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 22.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $279,700.

What salary do you need to live in Brookside?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $57,760 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Brookside?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are West Haven, CT, Southaven, MS, Kannapolis, NC and Hampton, VA.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  14. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  15. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Brookside with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Brookside itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/brookside-delaware

Citytistics. “Brookside, Delaware.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/brookside-delaware/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.