Compare towns
Sunapee vs Exeter vs Meredith
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Sunapee has the most affordable homes ($393k median).
Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
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.
| Measure | Sunapee | Exeter | Meredith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,416Lowest |
16,151Highest |
6,758 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH |
45.8±2.3Lowest 6% above NH |
55.5±3.7 28% above NH |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 9.9%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2% |
17%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2% |
12.6%±3.3 NH: 18.2% |
| Exeter and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 33.3%±7.1 NH: 20.1% |
24.4%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1% |
34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Meredith and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 50.6% NH: 40.6% |
59.2%Highest NH: 40.6% |
45.9%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.5 NH: 6% |
6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6% |
| Exeter 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±$20k about the NH average |
$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH |
$87,019±$19kLowest 12% below NH |
| Exeter 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 about the NH average |
$456,600±$21k 13% above NH |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
| Meredith and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,713±$451 15% above NH |
$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH |
$1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
| Exeter and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,400Lowest 34% below NH |
$8,814Highest 32% above NH |
$5,006 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.6%±10.5Lowest NH: 48.2% |
59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
| Exeter and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest NH: 7.2% |
4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
7.7% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
69.1%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
75.8% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
1979Highest same as NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 23% above NH |
25 minLowest 7% below NH |
26 min about the NH average |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8% |
19.9%±3.7 NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Meredith and Exeter 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 | #22 of 120 in NH | #62 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Sunapee School District | Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District |
| High school in town | Sunapee Sr. High School | Exeter High School | Inter-Lakes High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9 |
12.1Highest |
11.1Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 59 photos → | 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.