What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most kids (20% under 18).

Hamden has the most expensive homes ($298k 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	Hamden
People
Population	59,635Lowest	61,045Highest
Median age	37±1.2Lowest 10% below CT	38.7±0.9Highest 6% below CT
	Hamden and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Manchester and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.1%±1.3Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	47.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,840±$4kLowest 9% below CT	$98,306±$7kHighest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT	$298,200±$9kHighest 19% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,519±$66Lowest about the CT average	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,652Lowest 15% below CT	$7,784Highest 17% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±6.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest CT: 10%	9.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	62.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 5 yrs older than CT	1964Highest 3 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 15% below CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	14.3%±1.9Lowest CT: 16%	16.3%±2.1Highest CT: 16%
	Hamden 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	#135 of 149 in CT	#122 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services
High school in town	Manchester High School	Hamden High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	13.5Highest
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.