What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($300k 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	Hope	Manchester
People
Population	1,748Lowest	2,424Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average	46.9±4.6Highest 5% above ME
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%	19%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	22.6%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	47.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.7%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,766±$6kLowest 16% above ME	$92,031±$16kHighest 23% above ME
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME	$299,600±$40kLowest about the ME average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME	$993±$116Lowest 13% below ME
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,842Highest 27% above ME	$3,486Lowest 15% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%	30.9%±18.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	85%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 min 19% below ME	20 min 19% below ME
Work from home	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%	11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hope Public Schools	RSU 38
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.