What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Lancaster
People
Population	9,292Highest	8,606Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Putnam and Lancaster 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%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster 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%	19.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lancaster 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%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Lancaster 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.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster 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%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%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.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Nashoba
High school in town	Putnam High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.