What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oxford has the highest household income ($129k).

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	Oxford	Putnam
People
Population	12,991Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	45.2±5.7Highest 10% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
	Oxford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Oxford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Oxford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Putnam and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,953±$23kHighest 35% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,400±$20kHighest 29% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,415±$87Highest 5% below CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,442Highest 3% below CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.3%±15.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Highest CT: 52.6%
	Putnam and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%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	1986Highest 19 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	14.4%±3.7Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Oxford 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	#78 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Oxford School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	Oxford High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Highest	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.