Compare towns
Appleton vs Meredith vs Sunapee
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Sunapee has the highest household income ($101k).
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.
| Measure | Appleton | Meredith | Sunapee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,360Lowest |
6,758Highest |
3,416 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S. |
55.5±3.7 43% above U.S. |
56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S. |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
12.6%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Appleton and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
33.3%±7.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Meredith and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
45.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Sunapee and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S. |
$87,019±$19k 8% above U.S. |
$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S. |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S. |
$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S. |
$393,000±$51k 18% above U.S. |
| Meredith and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,104±$82Lowest 22% below U.S. |
$1,149±$304 19% below U.S. |
$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S. |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,588Lowest 15% above U.S. |
$5,006Highest 61% above U.S. |
$4,400 41% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.5%±9.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Appleton and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S. |
1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 14% above U.S. |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
33 minHighest 24% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 11.1%±3.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #62 of 120 in NH | #14 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Appleton Public Schools | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Sunapee School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Inter-Lakes High School | Sunapee Sr. High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.1Lowest |
11.9Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.