What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

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

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	Winchester	Putnam
People
Population	10,284Highest	9,292Lowest
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 19% above CT	43.7±3Lowest 6% 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	15.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest 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+	27.4%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	20%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%	3.9%±1.4Lowest 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	$66,519±$12kLowest 31% below CT	$70,561±$7kHighest 26% 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	$249,500±$17kLowest 32% below CT	$269,200±$11kHighest 27% 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	$1,174±$116Highest 21% below CT	$1,149±$44Lowest 23% 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	$4,780Highest 28% below CT	$3,860Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Highest CT: 52.6%	37.7%±11.6Lowest 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	12.8%Highest CT: 10%	11.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	59.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT	1961Highest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the CT average	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	6.9%±2.7Lowest CT: 16%	9%±2.8Highest 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	#97 of 149 in CT	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	Putnam School District
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Highest	9.5Lowest
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.