What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lawrence has the most expensive homes ($415k 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	Lawrence	Putnam
People
Population	88,736Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lawrence and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.	$70,561±$7kHighest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.	$3,860Highest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Putnam and Lawrence 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	#278 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Lawrence	Putnam School District
High school in town	Lawrence High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	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.