Best PlacesPutnam Heights, Eau Claire, WI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Putnam Heights, Eau Claire, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire ranks 1,008th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on cheap car insurance by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire's strengths and weaknesses
Where Putnam Heights, Eau Claire ranks high
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute15.0 minutes each way, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 88% of neighborhoods
Where Putnam Heights, Eau Claire ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 36% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,303 a month, better than only 38% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
A household needs to earn about $76,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Putnam Heights, Eau Claire home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $87,071, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Putnam Heights, Eau Claire's effective rate of 1.45%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Putnam Heights, Eau Claire.
Who works in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire, and how
Work in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Putnam Heights, Eau Claire.
What the weather is like in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire, month by month
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire sees roughly 116 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 25, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 18° | 10° |
| April | 56° | 44° | 34° |
| July | 84° | 72° | 61° |
| October | 59° | 49° | 40° |
Flying in and out of Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
The nearest airport, Chippewa Valley Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, about 85 miles away.
The best schools in and around Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
Schools across Putnam Heights, Eau Claire average a B, better than 72% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Manz ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Putnam Heights ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- South MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
- Delong MiddleB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Memorial HighB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Putnam Heights, Eau Claire school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Putnam Heights, Eau Claire against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire
Is Putnam Heights, Eau Claire a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Putnam Heights, Eau Claire ranks 1,008th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on cheap car insurance, short commutes, and civic engagement, and lowest on distance from a big city and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Putnam Heights, Eau Claire expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $267,741. The overall cost of living runs about 9% below the national average. Set against a $87,071 median income, cost of living beats 70% of neighborhoods.
Is Putnam Heights, Eau Claire safe?
Yes, Putnam Heights, Eau Claire is safer than 88% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $255 per resident a year.
Compare Putnam Heights, Eau Claire with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Putnam Heights, Eau Claire. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Putnam Heights, Eau Claire: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Putnam Heights, Eau Claire: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Putnam Heights, Eau Claire: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Putnam Heights, Eau Claire detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.