What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most homeowners (59.8%).

Vernon has the most people working from home (13.4%).

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	Vernon
People
Population	9,292Lowest	30,577Highest
Median age	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT	39.4±2.5Lowest 4% below CT
	Putnam and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%	16.9%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and Vernon 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%	18.6%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Vernon 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 CT: 42.5%	38%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT	$85,356±$6kHighest 11% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$275,500±$11kHighest 25% below CT
	Vernon 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	$1,425±$77Highest 4% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$5,804Highest 13% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	39.3%±5.7Highest CT: 52.6%
	Vernon and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest CT: 10%	13.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	27 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	13.4%±2.5Highest CT: 16%
	Vernon 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	#107 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Vernon School District
High school in town	Putnam High School	Rockville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	12.1Highest
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.