What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).

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	Williston
People
Population	540Lowest	10,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	45.4±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Putnam and Williston 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%	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Williston 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%	21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Williston 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.	$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S.
	Williston 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.	$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,832±$130 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,674Lowest 18% above U.S.	$5,592Highest 79% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Williston and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 19% below U.S.	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#11 of 70 in VT
School district	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
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.