What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Naugatuck has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Naugatuck
People
Population	9,292Lowest	31,800Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.1% CT: +0.9%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT	39.8±2.4Lowest 3% below CT
	Putnam and Naugatuck are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.9%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Naugatuck and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%	15.6%±2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Putnam and Naugatuck are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%	32.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.8%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT	$96,324±$9kHighest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kHighest 27% below CT	$259,100±$13kLowest 29% below CT
	Putnam and Naugatuck are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT	$1,369±$58Highest 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$6,362Highest 4% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	42.2%±9.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Naugatuck and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest CT: 10%	6.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	67.8%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 minLowest 6% below CT	33 minHighest 26% above CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	15%±2.8Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#116 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Naugatuck School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	Naugatuck High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	15.2Highest
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.