What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most kids (18.6% under 18).

Kent has the most people working from home (21.5%).

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	Kent
People
Population	9,292Highest	3,056Lowest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT	55.8±4.3Highest 36% above CT
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%	12.2%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	30.6%±6.5Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%	55.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.2%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Kent and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT	$96,064±$16kHighest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$470,900±$78kHighest 28% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Highest 23% below CT	$688±$205Lowest 54% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$4,520Highest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest CT: 52.6%	11.5%±11.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest CT: 10%	9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	70.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below CT	20 minLowest 23% below CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	21.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#20 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Kent School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.