What stands out worked out from the figures below

Millinocket has the most affordable homes ($100k median).

Sunapee has the most people working from home (9.5%).

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	Millinocket	Sunapee
People
Population	3,779Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57.5±7.3Highest 48% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Lowest 46% above U.S.
	Millinocket and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.1%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Millinocket and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.4%±8.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Millinocket and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Millinocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,445±$11kLowest 38% below U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$99,800±$24kLowest 70% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$451±$130Lowest 68% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,538Lowest 51% below U.S.	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20.5%±11Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sunapee and Millinocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 133 in ME	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Sunapee School District
High school in town	—	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.9
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.