What stands out worked out from the figures below

Royalton has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	Royalton	Sunapee
People
Population	2,752Lowest	3,416Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Royalton and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,938±$24kHighest 29% above U.S.	$101,393±$20kLowest 26% above U.S.
	Royalton and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,675Highest 50% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.7%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Royalton and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Royalton 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	#48 of 70 in VT	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Sunapee School District
High school in town	White River Valley High School	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.