What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Westminster
People
Population	3,416Highest	2,999Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.	53.5±3.7Lowest 38% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Westminster 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%	18.2%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	27.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Westminster 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%	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Westminster 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.	$71,491±$4kLowest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,000±$51kHighest 18% above U.S.	$273,800±$35kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.	$916±$126Lowest 35% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.	$4,063Lowest 30% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.2%±7.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westminster 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%	8.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#14 of 120 in NH	#53 of 70 in VT
School district	Sunapee School District	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District
High school in town	Sunapee Sr. High School	Bellows Falls Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.6Lowest
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.