What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bakersfield has the most people working from home (14.2%).

Putnam has the shortest commute (21 min average).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bakersfield	Putnam
People
Population	1,109Highest	540Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±8Lowest 19% above U.S.	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.
	Putnam and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	35.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bakersfield and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,462±$18kLowest 3% above U.S.	$92,344±$14kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Putnam and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,300±$19kHighest 18% below U.S.	$266,200±$48kLowest 20% below U.S.
	Bakersfield and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$327 15% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,823Highest 23% above U.S.	$3,674Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.8%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bakersfield and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bakersfield and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.