What stands out worked out from the figures below

Worcester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.1%).

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Worcester	Putnam
People
Population	207,055Highest	7,120Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+14.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.9±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.	41.2±5.1Highest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 22%	18.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Worcester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.3%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	18.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,102±$2kHighest 13% below U.S.	$65,511±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Worcester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$374,400±$7kHighest 13% above U.S.	$245,100±$13kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,487±$38Highest 5% above U.S.	$1,147±$43Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,733Highest 52% above U.S.	$3,564Lowest 14% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.2%±2.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	50.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1956Highest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.7%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#266 of 282 in MA	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester	—
High school in town	South High Community	—
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6	—
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.