What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k median).

Barre has the highest household income ($108k).

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	Putnam	Barre
People
Population	9,292Highest	5,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	43.8±8.5Highest 13% above U.S.
	Barre and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	15.8%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±5.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	31.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.	$107,727±$13kHighest 33% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$394,300±$55kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,030±$713Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Putnam and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	38.2%±27.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barre and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Putnam 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	#128 of 149 in CT	#134 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Quabbin
High school in town	Putnam High School	Quabbin Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	12.9Highest
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.