What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($300k median).

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Hope
People
Population	2,424Highest	1,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.9±4.6Highest 5% above ME	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	47.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,031±$16kHighest 23% above ME	$86,766±$6kLowest 16% above ME
	Manchester and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$299,600±$40kLowest about the ME average	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$993±$116Lowest 13% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,486Lowest 15% above ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.9%±18.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 min 19% below ME	20 min 19% below ME
Work from home	11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 38	Hope Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.