What stands out worked out from the figures below

Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k median).

Manchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).

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	Keene	Manchester
People
Population	22,939Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	37.6±2.3Lowest 13% below NH	38±1Highest 12% below NH
	Manchester and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±1.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	18%±1Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19.5%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,445±$8kLowest 21% below NH	$81,007±$2kHighest 18% below NH
	Manchester and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$252,500±$12kLowest 37% below NH	$365,600±$7kHighest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,342±$68Lowest 10% below NH	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,812Highest about the NH average	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±6.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 18 yrs older than NH	1966Highest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	24 minHighest 10% below NH
Work from home	15.6%±2.7Highest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Keene and Manchester 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	#81 of 120 in NH	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Keene School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	Keene High School	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Lowest	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.