What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Shirley has the most people working from home (21%).

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	Shirley
People
Population	9,292Highest	6,976Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	44.3±3.4Highest 14% above U.S.
	Shirley 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%	16.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Shirley 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%	19.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Shirley 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%	36.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Shirley 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.	$122,365±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$427,600±$36kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,481±$421Highest 5% above U.S.
	Shirley 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.	$5,156Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Shirley 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%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	40 minHighest 53% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#239 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Ayer Shirley School District
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.