What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitefield has the most expensive homes ($242k median).

Sumner has the most affordable homes ($150k 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	Whitefield	Sumner
People
Population	2,157Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.9±5.2Lowest 16% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%	17.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Whitefield and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.1%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sumner and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Whitefield and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,875±$10kHighest about the ME average	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
	Whitefield and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$24kHighest 18% below ME	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME
	Whitefield and Sumner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$895±$126 21% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,366Highest 22% below ME	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±22.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 23% above ME	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	13.5%±6.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 12	RSU 10
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.