What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most homeowners (59.8%).

Lawrence has the most expensive homes ($415k 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	Lawrence
People
Population	9,292Lowest	88,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+16.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	32.6±0.9Lowest 16% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	10.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	16.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lawrence 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±$7kHighest 13% below U.S.	$60,433±$3kLowest 25% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$415,200±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,662±$50Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Highest 24% above U.S.	$3,422Lowest 10% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Putnam and Lawrence 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	#278 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Lawrence
High school in town	Putnam High School	Lawrence High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	13.6Highest
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.