What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Harvard	Putnam
People
Population	6,927Lowest	9,292Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	44.1±4.7Highest 13% above U.S.	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Harvard and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Harvard and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$213,996±$24kHighest 165% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$833,600±$54kHighest 151% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,321±$424Highest 7% below U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
	Harvard and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.5%±51.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harvard and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	44.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#12 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Harvard	Putnam School District
High school in town	The Bromfield High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	9.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.