What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Easthampton has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Easthampton
People
Population	9,292Lowest	16,086Highest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	46±2.6Highest 18% above U.S.
	Easthampton 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%	15.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Easthampton 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%	23.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Easthampton 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%	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Easthampton 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.	$71,673±$7kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Easthampton and Putnam 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.	$371,500±$15kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,292±$70Highest 9% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$4,932Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.5%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Easthampton 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%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#92 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Easthampton
High school in town	Putnam High School	Easthampton 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.