What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k median).

Putnam has the most kids (18.6% under 18).

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	Sharon	Putnam
People
Population	2,723Lowest	9,292Highest
Median age	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Putnam and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,518±$15kHighest 5% above CT	$70,561±$7kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT	$269,200±$11kLowest 27% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% below CT
	Sharon and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Highest 33% below CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%	11.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT	1961Highest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	18.7%±6.8Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Sharon 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.