What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most homeowners (59.8%).

New Haven has the most people working from home (13.9%).

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	New Haven
People
Population	9,292Lowest	134,349Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.3% CT: +0.9%
Median age	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT	31.9±0.5Lowest 22% below CT
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.3%±1Highest CT: 20.2%
	New Haven 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%	11.8%±0.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%	38.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	14.9%±0.8Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kHighest 26% below CT	$56,851±$4kLowest 41% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$287,100±$16kHighest 22% below CT
	New Haven and Putnam 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	$1,488±$33Highest about the CT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$6,430Highest 3% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	56.6%±3.2Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest CT: 10%	23.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	28.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 6 yrs older than CT	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below CT	22 minLowest 19% below CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±1.6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	#145 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Common Ground High School District · Elm City Montessori School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	Wilbur Cross High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	13.7Highest
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.