What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Putnam has the most homeowners (59.8%).

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	Boston	Putnam
People
Population	666,442Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 21% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 43% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Putnam School District
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	9.5Lowest
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.