What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Charleston	Sutton
People
Population	936Lowest	2,239Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 50% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Charleston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kLowest 28% below U.S.	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 20% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charleston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Charleston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Charleston School District	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.