What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.3%).

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% 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	Alton	Manchester
People
Population	5,994Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.7±3.2Highest 24% above NH	38±1Lowest 12% below NH
Kids under 18	13.4%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%	18%±1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Manchester and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±4.5Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,715±$19kHighest 15% above NH	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,400±$37kHighest 7% above NH	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,564±$37 5% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,183Lowest 37% below NH	$5,922Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.7%±27.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	13.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Manchester and Alton 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	#72 of 120 in NH	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	Prospect Mountain High School	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	6 photos →

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.