What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most people working from home (9%).

Winchester has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

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	Winchester
People
Population	9,292Lowest	10,284Highest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT	49.1±6.2Highest 19% above CT
	Winchester and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%	15.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Putnam and Winchester 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%	27.4%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%	27.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.2%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Winchester 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±$7kHighest 26% below CT	$66,519±$12kLowest 31% below CT
	Putnam and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kHighest 27% below CT	$249,500±$17kLowest 32% below CT
	Putnam and Winchester 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	$1,174±$116Highest 21% below CT
	Winchester 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	$4,780Highest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	48.9%±15.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Winchester 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%	12.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	65.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 6 yrs older than CT	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	26 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%	6.9%±2.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Putnam and Winchester 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	#97 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Explorations District · Regional School District 07
High school in town	Putnam High School	Northwestern Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	9.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.