What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sunapee has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.7%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Sunapee	Barre
People
Population	3,416Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sunapee and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre 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	#14 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Sunapee School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.7Lowest
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.