What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlton has the highest household income ($118k).

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k median).

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	Charlton	Putnam
People
Population	13,435Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43±4Lowest 11% above U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Putnam and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.7%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Charlton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Charlton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,587±$8kHighest 46% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,500±$19kHighest 28% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Highest about the U.S. average	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
	Charlton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,617Highest 48% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charlton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	13%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Charlton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#133 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	Putnam School District
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Highest	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.