What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Richmond has the highest household income ($125k).

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	Richmond
People
Population	9,292Highest	8,142Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	42.7±4.1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Putnam and Richmond 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%	22%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Richmond 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%	15.7%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Richmond 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%	49.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Richmond 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.	$124,653±$27kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$435,800±$22kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,580±$777Highest 12% above U.S.
	Richmond 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.	$6,362Highest 104% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±42.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Putnam and Richmond 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%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Richmond and Putnam 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	#16 of 38 in RI
School district	Putnam School District	Chariho
High school in town	Putnam High School	Chariho High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	12.7Highest
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.