What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most people working from home (9%).

Southbridge Town has the most renters (57.3% rent).

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	Southbridge Town
People
Population	9,292Lowest	17,928Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	40.9±2.4Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Putnam and Southbridge Town 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%	21.9%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Southbridge Town 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%	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Southbridge Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Southbridge Town 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.	$66,287±$8kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Putnam and Southbridge Town 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.	$294,800±$18kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Southbridge Town and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,256±$79Highest 11% below U.S.
	Southbridge Town 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.	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.8%±8.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Southbridge Town and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	42.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	28 minHighest 7% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Putnam and Southbridge Town 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	#282 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Southbridge
High school in town	Putnam High School	Southbridge High School
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.