What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Madison	Putnam
People
Population	17,616Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Madison and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,843Highest 33% above CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Madison and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%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	30 minHighest 12% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	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.