What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the highest household income ($71k).

Chicopee has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Chicopee
People
Population	9,292Lowest	55,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	41.9±1.4Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Putnam and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Chicopee and Putnam 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%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chicopee 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%	22.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kHighest 13% below U.S.	$62,615±$6kLowest 22% below U.S.
	Putnam and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$274,500±$8kHighest 17% below U.S.
	Chicopee and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,157±$50Highest 18% below U.S.
	Chicopee and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Highest 24% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chicopee and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Putnam and Chicopee 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	#247 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Chicopee
High school in town	Putnam High School	Chicopee Comprehensive High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	11.2Highest
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.