What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

Putnam has the most expensive homes ($266k 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	Sandgate	Putnam
People
Population	435Lowest	540Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.9% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.7±5.4Highest 43% above U.S.	53.6±6.4Lowest 38% above U.S.
	Sandgate and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	35.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,167±$19kLowest 14% below U.S.	$92,344±$14kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Putnam and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$193,800±$31kLowest 42% below U.S.	$266,200±$48kHighest 20% below U.S.
	Putnam and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,778Lowest 11% below U.S.	$3,674Highest 18% 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	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	34.6%±32.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sandgate 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
High school 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.