What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most homeowners (59.8%).

Worcester has the most expensive homes ($374k 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	Worcester
People
Population	9,292Lowest	207,055Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+14.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.	33.9±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Worcester 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%	13.3%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kHighest 13% below U.S.	$70,102±$2kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Putnam and Worcester 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.	$374,400±$7kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,487±$38Highest 5% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$4,733Highest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.2%±2.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older 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%	11.5%±1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Worcester and Putnam 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	#266 of 282 in MA
School district	Putnam School District	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester
High school in town	Putnam High School	South High Community
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	14.6Highest
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.