What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Warwick has the most expensive homes ($331k median).

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	West Warwick
People
Population	9,292Lowest	31,173Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	42.8±1.5Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Putnam and West Warwick 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%	15.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and West Warwick 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%	20%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	West Warwick 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%	26.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	West Warwick 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.	$77,608±$7kHighest 4% below U.S.
	West Warwick and Putnam 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.	$330,800±$12kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,303±$74Highest 8% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$4,962Highest 59% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.5%±7.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	West Warwick 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%	9.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	57%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Putnam and West Warwick 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	#33 of 38 in RI
School district	Putnam School District	West Warwick
High school in town	Putnam High School	West Warwick High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	13.0Highest
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.