What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolfeboro has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Wolfeboro
People
Population	9,292Highest	6,571Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	57±1.8Highest 47% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Wolfeboro 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%	34.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Wolfeboro 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.	$94,375±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Wolfeboro 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.	$546,500±$60kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,103±$76Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Putnam and Wolfeboro 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.	$4,531Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	12%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.9%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#46 of 120 in NH
School district	Putnam School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	Kingswood Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	11.1Highest
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.