What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($455k median).

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	4,486Lowest	5,285Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+21.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.5±6.3Highest 26% above VT	46.3±7.6Lowest 7% above VT
	Manchester and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	22.5%±4.6Highest VT: 17.9%
	Stowe and Manchester 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%	25.8%±6.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Stowe 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%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3Highest VT: 7%	1.6%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Manchester and Stowe 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	$93,618±$33kLowest 15% above VT
	Manchester and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$454,600±$47kLowest 44% above VT	$647,800±$157kHighest 105% above VT
	Stowe and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$76Lowest 14% below VT	$1,458±$242Highest 18% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,923Lowest 18% above VT	$7,161Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±13.9Highest VT: 48.4%	24.5%±15.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	16.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	78.6%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 39% below VT	19 minHighest 18% below VT
Work from home	23.1%±5.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.4%±8.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Stowe 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	#37 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	None in town	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.3
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.