What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the highest household income ($130k).

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Sutton	Laconia
People
Population	2,239Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kHighest 32% above NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 10% below NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 11% above NH	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH
	Sutton and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 15% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Sutton and Laconia 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	—	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	10.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.