What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

Sunapee has the oldest population (median age 56.7).

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	Dover	Sunapee
People
Population	33,364Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%	-0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH	56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH
Kids under 18	16.9%±1.8Highest NH: 18.2%	9.9%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	33.3%±7.1Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52%Highest NH: 40.6%	50.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6%	4.5%±3.5Lowest NH: 6%
	Dover and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,829±$7kLowest 4% below NH	$101,393±$20kHighest about the NH average
	Sunapee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH	$393,000±$51kLowest about the NH average
	Dover and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,607±$100Lowest 8% above NH	$1,713±$451Highest 15% above NH
	Sunapee and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,249Highest 24% above NH	$4,400Lowest 34% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2%	34.6%±10.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Dover and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	75.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	33 minHighest 23% above NH
Work from home	18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8%	9.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 120 in NH	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Dover School District	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Dover Senior High School	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.