What stands out worked out from the figures below

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Sutton has the highest household income ($130k).

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	Laconia	Sutton
People
Population	17,085Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.5%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	21.6%±5.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.9%±3.6Highest NH: 6%
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH	$130,313±$31kHighest 32% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH	$362,600±$16kHighest 10% below NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH	$1,656±$614Highest 11% above NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH	$7,652Highest 15% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	29 minHighest 10% above NH
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.8%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Sutton and Laconia 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	#105 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Laconia School District	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Laconia High School	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	10.4Highest
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.