What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Tyngsborough has the most people working from home (18.6%).

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	Tyngsborough
People
Population	9,292Lowest	12,550Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	39.4±2.9Lowest about the U.S. average
	Putnam and Tyngsborough 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%	23.6%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Tyngsborough 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%	14.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Tyngsborough 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%	51.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.	$129,348±$18kHighest 60% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$552,500±$34kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,986±$404Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$7,426Highest 138% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	72.2%±22.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#174 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical · Tyngsborough
High school in town	Putnam High School	Gr Lowell Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	11.2Highest
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.