What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Wells
People
Population	3,416Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Lowest 38% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Wells 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%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Wells 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%	43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5 U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.
	Sunapee and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells 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%	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wells 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	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	Sunapee School District	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.