What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sugar Hill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.9%).

Center Harbor has the most affordable homes ($464k 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	Sugar Hill	Center Harbor
People
Population	658Lowest	955Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+14.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	-5.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	60.8±2.1Highest 40% above NH	60.4±4.8Lowest 39% above NH
	Sugar Hill and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.3%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	11.9%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Center Harbor and Sugar Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.2%±12.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.5%±13.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Center Harbor and Sugar Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59%Highest NH: 40.6%	47.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±3.1Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Sugar Hill and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$154,091±$32kHighest 56% above NH	$104,313±$16kLowest 5% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$639,700±$50kHighest 59% above NH	$463,800±$74kLowest 15% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,208±$630 19% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,340Highest 10% above NH	$4,667Lowest 30% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	14.3%±59.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sugar Hill and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	0.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	91%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 15 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	25 minLowest 8% below NH
Work from home	16.8%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	8.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Sugar Hill and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.