What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most kids (17.4% under 18).

Braintree has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Braintree
People
Population	540Lowest	1,026Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Lowest 38% above U.S.	58.4±2.4Highest 50% above U.S.
	Braintree and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	12.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	33.2%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,344±$14kHighest 14% above U.S.	$79,803±$5kLowest about the U.S. average
	Putnam and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$266,200±$48kHighest 20% below U.S.	$217,700±$28kLowest 35% below U.S.
	Putnam and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$840±$405 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,674Lowest 18% above U.S.	$3,908Highest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.4%±29.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Braintree and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Braintree and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.