What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dover has the most expensive homes ($1340k 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	Putnam	Dover
People
Population	9,292Highest	5,930Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	44.9±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Dover and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dover and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Dover 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%	84.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dover 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.	$250,001Highest 210% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$1,340,300±$117kHighest 303% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$2,917±$2kHighest 106% above U.S.
	Dover and Putnam 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.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	20%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Putnam and Dover 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%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	97.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34.2%±6.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#1 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Dover · Dover-Sherborn
High school in town	Putnam High School	Dover-Sherborn Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	9.8Highest
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.