Compare towns
Cornish vs Sunapee vs Tuftonboro
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Sunapee has the most renters (24.1% rent).
Tuftonboro has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.4%).
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 | Cornish | Sunapee | Tuftonboro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Lowest |
3,416Highest |
2,569 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
-0.7% NH: +4.6% |
+3.4%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3 25% above NH |
56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH |
51.9±7.5Lowest 20% above NH |
| Sunapee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2 NH: 18.2% |
9.9%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2% |
18.2%±4.7Highest NH: 18.2% |
| Tuftonboro and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1% |
33.3%±7.1Highest NH: 20.1% |
27.8%±6.9 NH: 20.1% |
| Sunapee and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% NH: 40.6% |
50.6%Highest NH: 40.6% |
37.6%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9 NH: 6% |
4.5%±3.5Highest NH: 6% |
0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6% |
| Sunapee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH |
$101,393±$20kHighest about the NH average |
$100,574±$16k about the NH average |
| Sunapee and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH |
$393,000±$51k about the NH average |
$462,300±$46kHighest 15% above NH |
| Tuftonboro and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH |
$1,713±$451Highest 15% above NH |
$1,311±$358 12% below NH |
| Sunapee and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796Highest 13% below NH |
$4,400 34% below NH |
$3,004Lowest 55% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Highest NH: 48.2% |
34.6%±10.5 NH: 48.2% |
6.5%±28.5Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Cornish and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.7% NH: 7.2% |
12.4%Highest NH: 7.2% |
4%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
75.9%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
92.6% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
1976 3 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 9% below NH |
33 minHighest 23% above NH |
30 min 12% above NH |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1 NH: 16.8% |
9.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8% |
14.3%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Tuftonboro and Cornish 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 | Cornish School District | Sunapee School District | Governor Wentworth Regional School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Sunapee Sr. High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.9 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
NH 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.