What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope Valley has the most people working from home (15.8%).

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	Hope Valley	Putnam
People
Population	2,297Lowest	9,292Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.9±10.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	43.7±3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Putnam and Hope Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hope Valley and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.8%±7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Hope Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Hope Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,932±$23kHighest 26% above U.S.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$447,500±$24kHighest 35% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,149±$44 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,448Highest 107% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±28.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	15.8%±12Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hope Valley and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Putnam School District
High school in town	—	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.5
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.