What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k 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	Durham	Putnam
People
Population	7,208Lowest	9,292Highest
Median age	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
	Durham and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Putnam and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Putnam and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kHighest 16% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Highest 22% below CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
	Durham and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,998Highest 20% above CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#88 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Putnam School District
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	9.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.