What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most people working from home (18%).

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k 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	Salem	Putnam
People
Population	4,282Lowest	9,292Highest
Median age	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average	43.7±3Highest 6% above CT
	Putnam and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Salem and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,668Highest about the CT average	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Highest CT: 52.6%
	Putnam and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Salem 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	#11 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Salem School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	None in town	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.5
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.