What stands out worked out from the figures below

Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).

Sunapee has the most expensive homes ($393k median).

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	Readfield	Sunapee
People
Population	2,651Lowest	3,416Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±7.6Lowest 24% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.3%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,504±$8kLowest 7% above U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,400±$20kLowest about the U.S. average	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$844Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,392Lowest 9% above U.S.	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.3%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sunapee and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	24.3%±14.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Readfield and Sunapee 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	#20 of 133 in ME	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 38	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Maranacook Community High Sch	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Lowest	11.9Highest
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.