What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most kids (20.5% under 18).

Sunapee has the highest household income ($101k).

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	St. Albans	Sunapee
People
Population	6,954Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Highest 42% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	St. Albans and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	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.