What stands out worked out from the figures below

East Haven has the highest household income ($95k).

Putnam has the most renters (40.2% rent).

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	East Haven	Putnam
People
Population	27,806Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	45.7±2.5Highest 11% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
	East Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and East Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	East Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	East Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,628±$9kHighest about the CT average	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,200±$12kHighest 20% below CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,528±$132Highest about the CT average	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,122Highest 23% below CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.9%±9.9Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	East Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest same as CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	9%±2.1 CT: 16%	9%±2.8 CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#127 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	East Haven School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	East Haven High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	9.5Lowest
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.