Population 14,140 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Brookline
Household size in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.33 | 2.37 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.18 | 2.35 | 2.53 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.16 | 2.29 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.24 | 2.30 | 2.46 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.09 | −0.07 | −0.05 | −0.03 |
Households in Brookline are small: just 2.24 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.33, as it has nationally.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 41.1 | 42.5 | 40.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 39.7 | 43.0 | 41.0 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 38.7 | 43.7 | 41.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.1 | 43.9 | 42.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | −0.0 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +2.3 |
At 41.1, the median age in Brookline is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The population here is younger than in the wider Pittsburgh area, where the median age is 43.9. Residents skew youngest in the northeast and oldest in the southwest.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.6% | 8.9% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 13.2% | 8.8% | 10.6% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.4% | 8.4% | 10.5% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 8.8% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +2.5 pts | −0.0 pts | +0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in Brookline as they are nationally: 11.1%, against 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in the Pittsburgh area as a whole (8.8%). Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has risen 2.5 points, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Brookline
Renters in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.6% | 28.5% | 29.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 27.8% | 29.9% | 30.5% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 27.1% | 30.3% | 31.1% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 31.9% | 29.3% | 30.7% | 34.8% |
| Change | +4.3 pts | +0.8 pts | +1.7 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Brookline is about as common as it is nationally: 31.9% of households rent, against 34.8%. Just over four in ten owners (41.7%) have paid off their mortgages, about the same as nationally. Renting is most common in the west and least common in the southeast. The renter share has risen 4.3 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.0% | 10.7% | 10.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.2% | 10.4% | 10.5% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 10.2% | 10.5% | 10.7% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.4% | 10.0% | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.6 pts | −0.7 pts | −1.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Brookline: 6.4% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 3.6 points, in line with the national trend. Few Pittsburgh neighborhoods have a lower vacancy rate: only two of 43.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1945 | 1960 | 1963 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1944 | 1961 | 1964 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1947 | 1962 | 1965 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1944 | 1964 | 1967 | 1980 |
| Change | −1 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
Brookline is a place of older homes: half were built before 1944, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. Newer construction is concentrated in the east, while the northwest has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $728 | $720 | $829 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $830 | $801 | $923 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $943 | $922 | $1,039 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,325 | $1,162 | $1,323 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$597 | +$442 | +$494 | +$606 |
Rent in Brookline runs $1,325 a month at the median, utilities included, below the U.S. median of $1,571. Even so, rents here are higher than in the Pittsburgh area overall ($1,162). Rents are up $597 a month from 2006–10, an 82% jump, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 30.2% of household income on rent, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Brookline
Bachelor's degrees in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 24.4% | 29.5% | 27.2% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 26.0% | 31.7% | 28.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 35.5% | 35.2% | 31.8% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 38.2% | 39.0% | 35.6% | 35.6% |
| Change | +13.8 pts | +9.5 pts | +8.3 pts | +7.2 pts |
Nearly four in ten adults 25 and older in Brookline (38.2%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, close to the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 13.8 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the northwest and least in the southwest.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.4% | 90.8% | 87.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.4% | 92.3% | 88.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.2% | 93.8% | 90.3% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.6% | 95.0% | 91.8% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.2 pts | +4.2 pts | +4.5 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in Brookline have finished high school (92.6%), above the national rate of 89.3%. Locally, though, the rate is lower than in the Pittsburgh area overall (95.0%). The share with a diploma has edged up 1.2 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Brookline
| Period | Brookline | Pittsburgh area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 6.9% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.8% | 4.9% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.1% | 5.0% | 5.4% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.2 pts | −1.9 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Brookline runs well above the national rate: 8.1% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Brookline compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 2.24 | 41.1 | 11.1% | 31.9% | 6.4% | 1944 | $1,325 | 38.2% | 92.6% | 8.1% |
| Beechview | 2.09 | 43.3 | 8.4% | 39.7% | 12.8% | 1943 | $1,048 | 33.9% | 94.1% | 4.7% |
| Overbrook | 2.29 | 42.4 | 10.4% | 16.1% | 10.0% | 1949 | $1,294 | 28.7% | 92.8% | 2.0% |
| Sunset Hills | 2.35 | 43.0 | 5.0% | 30.6% | 11.2% | 1950 | $1,448 | 62.3% | 98.7% | 2.1% |
| Banksville | 2.04 | 38.2 | 9.6% | 40.4% | 8.3% | 1958 | $1,425 | 50.8% | 97.9% | 4.3% |
| Knoxville | 3.16 | 33.4 | 12.1% | 44.7% | 30.6% | 1938 | $1,148 | 21.0% | 81.1% | 3.1% |
| Carrick | 2.14 | 42.5 | 12.3% | 40.7% | 14.0% | 1945 | $1,082 | 28.5% | 94.5% | 6.4% |
| Mission Hills | 2.35 | 41.3 | 8.0% | 38.6% | 7.7% | 1948 | $1,043 | 66.1% | 99.0% | 1.3% |
| Mount Washington | 1.87 | 34.7 | 5.8% | 59.2% | 10.5% | 1939 | $1,435 | 54.6% | 96.9% | 6.3% |
| whitehall | 2.21 | 45.8 | 5.1% | 24.9% | 7.1% | 1960 | $1,069 | 42.5% | 95.2% | 6.3% |
| Southside Slopes | 1.90 | 35.7 | 8.3% | 51.9% | 19.1% | 1938 | $1,345 | 42.0% | 94.8% | 4.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: East Forest, Charlotte, NC · Education Hill, Redmond, WA · Edison Park, Chicago, IL · Eastwood, Syracuse, NY · Eastwick, Philadelphia, PA · Eastside Lansing, Lansing, MI · Pleasant Valley, Austin, TX · Point Place, Toledo, OH · East Oak Hill, Austin, TX · Provincetowne, Charlotte, NC
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Brookline. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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