Moving to
Brookhaven.

All Brookhaven data Compare Brookhaven

57,855people live here $117,663median household income▲ 46% above US $1,882median rent per month▲ 33% above US $692,700median home value▲ 108% above US

What it's like to live in Brookhaven

Brookhaven is a smaller city in Georgia with unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a growing population. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Brookhaven deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and above-average rainfall.

The good

Low unemployment
Higher-than-average incomes
Highly educated workforce
Growing population
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Air quality concerns
Above-average rainfall

How Brookhaven compares

Median household income

Brookhaven$117,663

Georgia avg$77,353

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Brookhaven$1,882

Georgia avg$1,393

US$1,413

Median home value

Brookhaven$692,700

Georgia avg$303,300

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Brookhaven

Based on Brookhaven's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,764

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $75,280 a year
45% of Brookhaven renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$138,540

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $69,270
Homes cost 5.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 33% above US

$1,882/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,882 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $692,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $692,700 · 45% of renters cost-burdened

Job market▼ 42% below US

2.5% unemployment

Unemployment here is 2.5%, well below the national average of 4.3%.

City-level (BLS)

Safety▼ 20% below US

265 violent crimes per 100k

Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.

Property crime 1994/100k · Brookhaven Police Department · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 25.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 6 in 10 workers drive to work; 30% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

56%

Work from home

30%

Carpool

7.9%

Public transit

3.2%

Other

2.3%

Walk

1.5%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 97% above US

71% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

8 public schools inside the boundary

There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 5 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (8 miles away). There are 7 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Brookhaven's strongest points are unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,882/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers, remote workers (30% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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