What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Woodstock has the highest household income ($112k).

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	Woodstock
People
Population	9,292Highest	8,319Lowest
Median age	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT	49.3±5.9Highest 20% above CT
	Woodstock 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%±3.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Woodstock 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%	22.5%±4.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Woodstock 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%	47.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%	2.1%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Putnam and Woodstock 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	$112,011±$21kHighest 17% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT	$417,200±$22kHighest 14% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT	$1,202±$94Highest 19% below CT
	Woodstock 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	$5,357Highest 19% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.7%±11.6Highest CT: 52.6%	22.2%±16Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Putnam and Woodstock 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%	4.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1985Highest 18 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	31 minHighest 16% above CT
Work from home	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	12.5%±4.5Highest CT: 16%
	Woodstock 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	#85 of 149 in CT
School district	Putnam School District	Woodstock School District · The Woodstock Academy District
High school in town	Putnam High School	The Woodstock Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	16.2Highest
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.