Compare towns
Sunapee vs Wells vs Meredith
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 most affordable homes ($393k median).
Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
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 | Wells | Meredith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,416Lowest |
11,713Highest |
6,758 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S. |
53.6±3.8Lowest 38% above U.S. |
55.5±3.7 43% 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% |
18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
12.6%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Wells and Meredith 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% |
31%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
34.2%±5Highest 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% |
43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
45.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $101,393±$20kHighest 26% above U.S. |
$88,024±$11k 9% above U.S. |
$87,019±$19kLowest 8% 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. |
$480,100±$48k 44% above U.S. |
| Wells and Meredith 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. |
$1,350±$297 4% below U.S. |
$1,149±$304Lowest 19% 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 | $4,400 41% above U.S. |
$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S. |
$5,006Highest 61% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
42.1%±19.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
48.5%±9.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Meredith and Wells 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% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 75.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S. |
1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 24% above U.S. |
28 min 4% above U.S. |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.8%±4.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Meredith and Wells 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 | #62 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Sunapee School District | Wells-Ogunquit CSD | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District |
| High school in town | Sunapee Sr. High School | Wells High School | Inter-Lakes High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9Highest |
11.4 |
11.1Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.