What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($266k median).

Middlesex has the most people working from home (28.4%).

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	Middlesex
People
Population	540Lowest	1,943Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	44.4±3.9Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Putnam and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Middlesex and Putnam 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%	20.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Middlesex and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,344±$14kLowest 14% above U.S.	$109,632±$13kHighest 36% above U.S.
	Middlesex and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$266,200±$48kLowest 20% below U.S.	$376,300±$40kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,333±$359 6% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,674Lowest 18% above U.S.	$6,483Highest 108% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	27 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28.4%±10.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92
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.