What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k median).

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	Washington
People
Population	9,292Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT
	Washington 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%	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Washington 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 CT: 18.5%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Washington 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%	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington 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	$101,549±$16kHighest 6% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT
	Washington and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT	$4,709Highest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Putnam and Washington 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%	9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79%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	26 minHighest 4% below CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%
	Washington 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Putnam High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Highest	9.1Lowest
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.