What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most renters (49.3% rent).

Oxford has the most people working from home (16.4%).

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	Oxford
People
Population	7,120Lowest	13,385Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.2±5.1Lowest 6% above U.S.	42±2.8Highest 8% above U.S.
	Oxford and Putnam 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%	21.3%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oxford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Putnam and Oxford 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%	29.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oxford and Putnam 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.	$103,862±$10kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,100±$13kLowest 26% below U.S.	$374,900±$18kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,147±$43Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,177±$142Highest 17% below U.S.
	Oxford and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,564Lowest 14% above U.S.	$4,622Highest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±12.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.8%±15.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Oxford 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%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	28 minHighest 7% above U.S.
Work from home	6.7%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#245 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Oxford
High school in town	—	Oxford High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
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.