What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

Sunapee has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.7%).

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	Bethel	Sunapee
People
Population	1,736Lowest	3,416Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.7±3.7Lowest 30% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	11.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bethel and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,822±$7kLowest 6% below U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kLowest 28% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220Lowest 6% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Highest 66% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bethel and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sunapee and Bethel 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	—	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Sunapee School District
High school in town	None in town	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.9
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.