Compare towns
Putney vs Athol vs Cambridge
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Putney has the most people working from home (16.9%).
Athol has the most affordable homes ($249k median).
Cambridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).
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.
| Measure | Putney | Athol | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,622Lowest |
8,801Highest |
3,767 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 37.2±5.2 4% below U.S. |
36.8±3.3Lowest 5% below U.S. |
37.4±1.8Highest 4% below U.S. |
| Cambridge and Putney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
23%±4.9 U.S.: 22% |
| Athol and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.1%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
15%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Putney and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 48.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
50.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 20.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
1.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $79,706±$18kHighest about the U.S. average |
$67,394±$8kLowest 17% below U.S. |
$72,344±$19k 10% below U.S. |
| Putney and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $300,000±$44k 10% below U.S. |
$248,700±$15kLowest 25% below U.S. |
$343,000±$38kHighest 3% above U.S. |
| Cambridge and Putney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $508±$482Lowest 64% below U.S. |
$1,120±$173 21% below U.S. |
$1,183±$66Highest 16% below U.S. |
| Cambridge and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,313Highest 70% above U.S. |
$3,170Lowest about the U.S. average |
$4,910 57% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 54.2%±19.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
59.2%±17.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
66.6%±7.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Cambridge and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 16% U.S.: 12.5% |
21%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
63.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
70.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1940Lowest 40 yrs older than U.S. |
1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 32% below U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
32 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 16.9%±6.5Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.9%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Putney and Cambridge 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 | #32 of 70 in VT | #256 of 282 in MA | #25 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | — | Cambridge School District |
| High school in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 6 photos → | 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.