What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melrose has the most people working from home (29.6%).

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	Melrose	Putnam
People
Population	29,650Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.6±1.1Lowest 12% above U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Putnam and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Melrose and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Melrose and Putnam 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	4.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Melrose and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Melrose and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Melrose	Putnam School District
High school in town	Melrose High	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	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.