Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Putnam grades C overall, ranked 126th of 151 in Connecticut, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, its public schools trail 80% of Connecticut towns on state tests and graduation. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 70% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $269K, 3 years of the Putnam area’s $91K median household income. Only 10 of Connecticut’s 174 towns score lower on health. Putnam has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Putnam High School and Putnam Railroad Station. On cost of living, just 15 of Connecticut’s 175 towns do better.
Where Putnam beats most towns.
Israel Putnam School
Elizabeth Langdon Williams
Census counts: 2,722 in 1860, 9,224 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1806 and 6 maps from 1889 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Putnam is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Putnam. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
34 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
39 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
39 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaMohegan Sun ArenaLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mohegan Sun Arena: Bbjeter, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Putnam, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Putnam.
Putnam sends many workers across the state line to Webster and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it scores below Killingly and its other neighbors on health.
Its public schools are run by the Putnam School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 558 | C |
| Putnam High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 253 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 109 to 56 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
At 5.4 per 1,000 residents, Putnam’s property crime rate is below both Connecticut’s towns (9.7) and U.S. towns (9.9).
| Putnam | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.4 per 1,000 residents | 9.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Putnam.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Putnam has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. At 82°F, Putnam’s July high is where Connecticut’s towns sit at 83°F and U.S. towns at 85°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
31% of working residents cross a state line to work, Webster among the top destinations.
About one in 5 of Putnam’s working residents works in town. The median household income in Putnam is $71,000. Jobs based in Putnam fell to 5,131 in 2023, 659 fewer than in 2013.
| Putnam | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 11% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9% | 16% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
All 4 graded neighbors score healthier than its C+, from Killingly (B−) to Woodstock (A).
25% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Putnam. Putnam beats the Connecticut average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 36% of adults have high blood pressure in Putnam.
| Putnam | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 22% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 9.7% | 14% |
| What stands out | Putnam | CT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.2% | 9.8% |
| More smokers | 15.4% | 10.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 5.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9.3 miles of trail in 34 parks and preserves. Putnam’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Quaddick State Forest, at 112 acres.
| Putnam | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.3% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Quaddick State Forest | 0.3 mi | 112 |
| 2. Natchaug State Forest | — | 92 |
| 3. Lower Pond Preserve | — | 65 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 3 years of the Putnam area’s $91K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 96% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living.
60% of Putnam households own their home.
| Putnam | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 60% | 81% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,149 a month | $1,451 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Putnam
About 4 of every 100 Putnam residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
5 places in Putnam on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Putnam.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut. Putnam is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 9,924 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Putnam.
Pomfret next door grades higher for schools (A− to Putnam’s C−) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam | #126 | C | B− | B+ | C− | C+ |
| Pomfret | #69 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A |
| Killingly | #138 | D | B− | — | C− | B− |
| Thompson | #123 | C | B | — | C | B+ |
| Woodstock | #99 | B− | C+ | — | C+ | A |
| South Woodstock | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pomfret, Killingly, Thompson and Woodstock report no FBI crime data of their own. South Woodstock isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Putnam with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Putnam grades C overall, better than 30% of U.S. towns and #126 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades C+ for health, B+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
The typical home is worth about $269,000, 40% below the Connecticut typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
17 notable people were born here, including Elizabeth Langdon Williams and Brooke Brodack.
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