What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sunapee has the most affordable homes ($393k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Needham
People
Population	3,416Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham 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.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Lowest 21% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#14 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Sunapee School District	Needham
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9	11.9
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.