What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Vernon has the most expensive homes ($276k 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	Vernon
People
Population	59,635Highest	30,577Lowest
Median age	37±1.2Lowest 10% below CT	39.4±2.5Highest 4% below CT
	Vernon 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%	16.9%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Manchester and Vernon 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%	18.6%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	38%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,840±$4kHighest 9% below CT	$85,356±$6kLowest 11% below CT
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT	$275,500±$11kHighest 25% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,519±$66Highest about the CT average	$1,425±$77Lowest 4% below CT
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,652Lowest 15% below CT	$5,804Highest 13% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±6.1Highest CT: 52.6%	39.3%±5.7Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%	13.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 5 yrs older than CT	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below CT	27 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	14.3%±1.9Highest CT: 16%	13.4%±2.5Lowest CT: 16%
	Manchester and Vernon 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	#107 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District	Vernon School District
High school in town	Manchester High School	Rockville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	12.1Highest
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.