What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most renters (40.2% rent).

Sutton has the highest household income ($130k).

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	Sutton
People
Population	9,292Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton 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 U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton 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 13% below U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Putnam and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton 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	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	10.4Highest
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.