Compare towns
Sunapee vs Meredith vs Dover
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).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
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 | Meredith | Dover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,416Lowest |
6,758 |
33,364Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7% NH: +4.6% |
+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 56.7±1.4Highest 31% above NH |
55.5±3.7 28% above NH |
36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below 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% |
12.6%±3.3 NH: 18.2% |
16.9%±1.8Highest NH: 18.2% |
| Dover 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% |
34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest 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% |
45.9%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
52%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.5 NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6% |
6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
| Dover 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 |
$87,019±$19kLowest 12% below NH |
$94,829±$7k 4% below NH |
| Sunapee and Dover 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 |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
$436,700±$20k 8% above NH |
| Meredith and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,713±$451Highest 15% above NH |
$1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
$1,607±$100 8% above NH |
| Sunapee and Dover 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 |
$5,006 25% below NH |
$8,249Highest 24% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.6%±10.5Lowest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
| Dover 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% |
7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
8.3% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
75.8% NH: 72.8% |
52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 23% above NH |
26 min about the NH average |
23 minLowest 15% below NH |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
18.6%±2.5 NH: 16.8% |
| Meredith and Dover 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 | #62 of 120 in NH | #64 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Sunapee School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Dover School District |
| High school in town | Sunapee Sr. High School | Inter-Lakes High School | Dover Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9 |
11.1Lowest |
12.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.