What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most people working from home (14.3%).

Putnam has the oldest population (median age 43.7).

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	Manchester	Putnam
People
Population	59,635Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	37±1.2Lowest 10% below CT	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	20%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Manchester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Putnam and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±0.7Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Manchester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,840±$4kHighest 9% below CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT	$269,200±$11kHighest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,519±$66Highest about the CT average	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,652Highest 15% below CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±6.1Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Manchester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 5 yrs older than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	14.3%±1.9Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#135 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	Manchester High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	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.