What stands out worked out from the figures below

Easthampton has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Easthampton	Putnam
People
Population	16,086Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	46±2.6Highest 18% above U.S.	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Easthampton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Easthampton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Easthampton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kHighest 11% below U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Easthampton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$15kHighest 12% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 58% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Easthampton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#92 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Easthampton	Putnam School District
High school in town	Easthampton High	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	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.