What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Wells	Sunapee
People
Population	11,713Highest	3,416Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±3.8Lowest 38% above U.S.	56.7±1.4Highest 46% above U.S.
	Sunapee and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	9.9%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.3%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sunapee and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.5 U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±3.5 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.	$101,393±$20kHighest 26% 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	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.	$393,000±$51kLowest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.	$1,713±$451Highest 21% above 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	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.6%±10.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and Sunapee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wells and Sunapee 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	#22 of 133 in ME	#14 of 120 in NH
School district	Wells-Ogunquit CSD	Sunapee School District
High school in town	Wells High School	Sunapee Sr. High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	11.9Highest
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.