What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% under 18).

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	Bennington
People
Population	3,416Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Sunapee 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.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington 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	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Sunapee School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Lowest	14.7Highest
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.