What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hopkinton has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Hopkinton	Putnam
People
Population	19,358Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	40.8±1.6Lowest 5% above U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Putnam and Hopkinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	29.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	12.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	77.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Hopkinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$222,801±$22kHighest 176% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$802,700±$39kHighest 141% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,641±$361Highest 87% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
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	64.4%±14.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	33.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#5 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Hopkinton	Putnam School District
High school in town	Hopkinton High	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.4Highest	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.