What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester has the most renters (34% rent).

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	Rochester
People
Population	2,239Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH	43±1.8Lowest about the NH average
	Sutton and Rochester 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%	18.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%	19.6%±1.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sutton and Rochester 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%	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
	Sutton and Rochester 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	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 10% below NH	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 11% above NH	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH
	Sutton and Rochester 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	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Rochester 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%	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above NH	26 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Sutton and Rochester 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	—	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	13.2Highest
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.