What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sunapee has the oldest population (median age 56.7).

Deerfield has the most people working from home (17.5%).

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	Deerfield
People
Population	3,416Lowest	5,158Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7% U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	51.8±3.6Lowest 33% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Deerfield 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%	22.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Deerfield 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%	44.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deerfield 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±$20kLowest 26% above U.S.	$106,136±$14kHighest 31% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.	$414,900±$37kHighest 25% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,334±$318Lowest 6% below U.S.
	Sunapee and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,824Highest 87% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sunapee and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.5%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deerfield 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	#156 of 282 in MA
School district	Sunapee School District	Deerfield · Frontier
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Frontier Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.1Lowest
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.