What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Milford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Putnam	Milford
People
Population	7,120Lowest	30,431Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.2±5.1Highest 6% above U.S.	38.9±1.8Lowest about the U.S. average
	Putnam and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Milford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Milford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Putnam and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,511±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$96,365±$4kHighest 19% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,100±$13kLowest 26% below U.S.	$476,700±$12kHighest 43% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,147±$43Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,909±$137Highest 35% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,564Lowest 14% above U.S.	$5,869Highest 88% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	65.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.
Work from home	6.7%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#213 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Milford
High school in town	—	Milford High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.9
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.