What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Haven has the highest household income ($133k).

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	North Haven	Putnam
People
Population	24,336Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	45.7±1.3Highest 11% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
	North Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	North Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	North 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+	46.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.3Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	North 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	$132,689±$7kHighest 39% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,200±$15kHighest 7% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,720±$127Highest 16% above CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,964Highest 5% above CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.2%±10Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	North Haven and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 3 yrs older than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	14.9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#84 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Area Cooperative Educational Services · North Haven School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	North Haven High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	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.