What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% under 18).

Sunapee has the most expensive homes ($393k 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	Bennington	Sunapee
People
Population	15,249Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Sunapee 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	#58 of 70 in VT	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.