Population 238 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Putnam
Household size in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.80 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 3.16 | 2.58 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 1.85 | 2.56 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.94 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.14 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Putnam is a place of big households: 2.94 people per home on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. Numbers like that usually point to plenty of families with kids. Household size has climbed from 2.80 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 44.0 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 30.4 | 38.9 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 57.2 | 40.2 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 26.8 | 40.3 | 40.1 |
| Change | −17.2 | +2.3 | +2.3 |
With a median age of just 26.8, Putnam is far younger than the country as a whole (40.1), a population that tilts toward young adults in their twenties.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 12.3% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 19.9% | 12.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 4.0% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.5% | 11.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | +6.3 pts | −1.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in seven households in Putnam (13.5%), a bit above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Putnam
Renters in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 20.0% | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 20.9% | 34.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.6% | 34.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 23.9% | 33.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.9 pts | +1.4 pts | +1.5 pts |
Only 23.9% of households in Putnam rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 47.3% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.0% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 14.2% | 12.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 23.3% | 12.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 13.3% | 11.4% | 9.6% |
| Change | −13.6 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy runs high in Putnam: 13.3% of homes are empty, against 9.6% nationally. The count includes vacation homes and homes between owners or tenants, not just abandoned ones.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1966 | 1983 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1969 | 1985 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1983 | 1986 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1984 | 1990 | 1980 |
| Change | +18 | +7 | +6 |
Homes in Putnam are a bit newer than the national norm: the median home was built in 1984, versus 1980 across the U.S. Still, homes here are older than in North Carolina as a whole, where the median home dates to 1990.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $336 | $789 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $915 | $868 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,045 | $981 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,642 | $1,317 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,306 | +$528 | +$606 |
Rent in Putnam runs $1,642 a month at the median, utilities included, close to the U.S. median of $1,571. Rents here are higher than in North Carolina as a whole ($1,317). Rent takes 42.8% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Putnam
Bachelor's degrees in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.1% | 27.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 4.2% | 29.0% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 6.3% | 32.0% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 27.7% | 36.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +14.6 pts | +8.4 pts | +7.2 pts |
More than a quarter of adults 25 and older in Putnam (27.7%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 87.2% | 84.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 82.2% | 86.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 76.4% | 88.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.1% | 90.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.9 pts | +5.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in Putnam have finished high school as nationally: 89.1%, against 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Putnam
| Period | Putnam | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.6% | 8.8% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.4% | 10.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 0.0% | 5.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 0.0% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −7.6 pts | −4.0 pts | −2.7 pts |
The survey found almost no one in Putnam out of work and looking, against 5.4% of the labor force nationally. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Putnam compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam | 2.94 | 26.8 | 13.5% | 23.9% | 13.3% | 1984 | $1,642 | 27.7% | 89.1% | 0.0% |
| Highfalls | 2.84 | 42.3 | 2.9% | 9.3% | 29.0% | 1983 | $1,372 | 22.4% | 96.6% | 0.0% |
| Glendon | 2.77 | 38.3 | 8.0% | 18.9% | 17.0% | 1987 | $1,379 | 28.4% | 92.3% | 0.0% |
| Parkwood | 2.65 | 38.7 | 11.3% | 15.9% | 9.5% | 1982 | $1,518 | 19.6% | 88.7% | 1.7% |
| Robbins | 2.69 | 41.4 | 11.6% | 21.5% | 16.9% | 1982 | $914 | 14.6% | 86.5% | 3.9% |
| Harpers Crossroads | 2.99 | 42.6 | 3.6% | 16.0% | 20.7% | 1986 | $1,088 | 16.9% | 82.0% | 0.7% |
| Haw Branch | 2.51 | 47.9 | 8.5% | 13.5% | 7.6% | 1995 | $1,148 | 21.2% | 90.5% | 0.0% |
| Bennett | 2.51 | 39.5 | 3.2% | 11.3% | 23.2% | 1975 | $1,024 | 19.7% | 92.5% | 2.0% |
| Eastwood | 2.33 | 46.8 | 7.7% | 23.4% | 14.7% | 1992 | $970 | 30.3% | 92.0% | 2.2% |
| Goldston | 2.32 | 51.6 | 8.5% | 4.8% | 19.8% | 1980 | $920 | 13.3% | 83.0% | 0.5% |
| Jugtown | 2.20 | 47.9 | 6.1% | 5.2% | 33.0% | 1982 | $779 | 18.4% | 84.6% | 6.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Wasta, SD · Carr Mill, AL · Carvers, NC · Chignik Lake, AK · Chimes, AR · China, IN · Colleen, VA · Vail, PA · Volcanoville, CA · Wallace, AL
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Putnam. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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