What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most people working from home (23.1%).

Rutland has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Manchester	Rutland
People
Population	4,486Highest	3,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.5±6.3Highest 26% above VT	50.8±4.5Lowest 18% above VT
	Manchester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±3.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Manchester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.7%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	28.9%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Rutland and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	38%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Manchester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,886±$23kHighest 17% above VT	$72,099±$17kLowest 11% below VT
	Manchester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$454,600±$47kHighest 44% above VT	$301,500±$40kLowest 5% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$76Lowest 14% below VT	$1,221±$324Highest about the VT average
	Rutland and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,923Highest 18% above VT	$3,984Lowest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±13.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.5%±17.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Rutland and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	75.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1976Lowest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 39% below VT	20 minHighest 17% below VT
Work from home	23.1%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%	8.2%±4.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#37 of 70 in VT	#24 of 70 in VT
School district	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63	Rutland Town School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.