What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Brattleboro	Sunapee
People
Population	12,122Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro 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	#33 of 70 in VT	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.9Highest
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.