What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Brattleboro has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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	Brattleboro
People
Population	3,416Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Brattleboro 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%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Brattleboro 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.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Sunapee 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%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro 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	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Sunapee School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.