What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($223k median).

Bolton has the most people working from home (20.7%).

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	Bolton
People
Population	36,759Highest	4,853Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+19% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	37.3±2Lowest 9% below CT	43.7±3.3Highest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	20%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bolton and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±3.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±0.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.7%±2.6Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bolton and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,267±$5kLowest 22% below CT	$126,364±$19kHighest 32% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$223,400±$5kLowest 39% below CT	$367,600±$17kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,384±$66Highest 7% below CT	$1,127±$55Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,903Lowest 26% below CT	$8,091Highest 22% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8Highest CT: 52.6%	39.8%±30.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Manchester and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest CT: 10%	7.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	88%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 16 yrs older than CT	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	9.9%±1.8Lowest CT: 16%	20.7%±4.6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#135 of 149 in CT	#79 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Bolton School District
High school in town	—	Bolton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.