What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k median).

Stepney has the highest household income ($154k).

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	Stepney
People
Population	9,292Highest	3,979Lowest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT	47.1±5.6Highest 15% above CT
	Stepney and Putnam 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%	21.1%±5.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stepney 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%	17.7%±4.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Putnam and Stepney 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%	54.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	10.1%±5.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Stepney 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	$153,966±$16kHighest 61% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$475,800±$53kHighest 30% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT	$2,750±$1kHighest 85% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$9,309Highest 40% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	63.2%±48.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Stepney 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%	0.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	96.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	37 minHighest 41% above CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	9.8%±4.3Highest CT: 16%
	Stepney and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#128 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Putnam School District	—
High school in town	Putnam High School	—
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.