What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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	Upton
People
Population	3,416Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.
Kids under 18	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Upton 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.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Sunapee and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 24% above U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#14 of 120 in NH	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Sunapee School District	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.2Lowest
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.