What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sunapee has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.7%).

Northfield has the most kids (14.6% under 18).

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	Northfield
People
Population	3,416Lowest	5,920Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northfield 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%	20%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$71,768±$13kLowest 11% below U.S.
	Sunapee and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.	$274,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,018±$207Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$4,878Highest 56% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.3%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	27 minLowest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northfield 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	#42 of 70 in VT
School district	Sunapee School District	Paine Mountain Union School District #68
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Northfield Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.0Lowest
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.