What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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

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	Upton	Sunapee
People
Population	8,189Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sunapee and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$101,393±$20kLowest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	33 minLowest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.