Compare towns
Sunapee vs Ware vs Meredith vs Croydon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Sunapee has the highest household income ($101k).
Ware has the most affordable homes ($290k median).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Croydon has the most homeowners (86.6%).
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 | Ware | Meredith | Croydon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 3,416 |
10,048Highest |
6,758 |
798Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2% U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S. |
43.1±4.7 11% above U.S. |
55.5±3.7 43% above U.S. |
43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S. |
| 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 U.S.: 22% |
19.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
12.6%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
19%±6.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Ware and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 33.3%±7.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
20.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
27.4%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
24% U.S.: 35.7% |
45.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4%±3.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Sunapee and Ware 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 26% above U.S. |
$67,475±$15kLowest 16% below U.S. |
$87,019±$19k 8% above U.S. |
$98,333±$21k 22% above U.S. |
| Sunapee and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $393,000±$51k 18% above U.S. |
$289,700±$28kLowest 13% below U.S. |
$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S. |
$317,300±$33k 5% below U.S. |
| Meredith and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S. |
$1,043±$109 26% below U.S. |
$1,149±$304 19% below U.S. |
$991±$336Lowest 30% below U.S. |
| Sunapee and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,400 41% above U.S. |
$4,237 36% above U.S. |
$5,006Highest 61% above U.S. |
$3,806Lowest 22% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.6%±10.5 U.S.: 51.1% |
64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.5%±9.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ware 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
11.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
72.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 24% above U.S. |
28 min 8% above U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
12.3%±3.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #14 of 120 in NH | #267 of 282 in MA | #62 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Sunapee School District | Ware | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Croydon School District |
| High school in town | Sunapee Sr. High School | Ware Junior/Senior High School | Inter-Lakes High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9Highest |
11.1Lowest |
11.1Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.