Compare towns
Ware vs Putnam vs Palmer Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Ware has the most people working from home (12.3%).
Putnam has the most renters (40.2% rent).
Palmer Town has the highest household income ($78k).
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 | Ware | Putnam | Palmer Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,048 |
9,292Lowest |
12,381Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +2.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.1±4.7Lowest 11% above U.S. |
43.7±3 12% above U.S. |
47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S. |
| Palmer Town and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.6%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Ware and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.6%±3.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Palmer Town and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
23.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Ware and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,475±$15kLowest 16% below U.S. |
$70,561±$7k 13% below U.S. |
$78,480±$8kHighest about the U.S. average |
| Palmer Town and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $289,700±$28kHighest 13% below U.S. |
$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S. |
$271,400±$21k 18% below U.S. |
| Ware and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,149±$44Highest 19% below U.S. |
$1,075±$103 24% below U.S. |
| Putnam and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,237 36% above U.S. |
$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S. |
$4,540Highest 46% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.9%±10.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ware and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
11.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
71.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 8% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
31 minHighest 19% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Ware and Putnam 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 | #267 of 282 in MA | #128 of 149 in CT | #252 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Ware | Putnam School District | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Ware Junior/Senior High School | Putnam High School | Pathfinder Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.1Highest |
9.5Lowest |
9.9 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.