What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Topsfield has the most people working from home (29.4%).

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	Topsfield
People
Population	9,292Highest	6,564Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	42.2±1.8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Putnam and Topsfield 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%	24.8%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Topsfield 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%	22.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Topsfield 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%	71.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Topsfield 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.	$195,718±$16kHighest 142% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$853,400±$40kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,115±$538Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Putnam and Topsfield 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.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±40.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Topsfield 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%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Topsfield
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.