What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sunapee has the most people working from home (9.5%).

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k 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	Gorham
People
Population	3,416Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH	53.9±3.6Lowest 24% above NH
	Sunapee and Gorham 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%	12.5%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Gorham 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 NH: 20.1%	31.7%±6.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sunapee and Gorham 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 NH: 40.6%	20.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Lowest NH: 6%	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Gorham 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 about the NH average	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest about the NH average	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 15% above NH	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Highest 34% below NH	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	41%±20.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gorham and Sunapee 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%	4.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#14 of 120 in NH	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Sunapee School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	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.