What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Pownal has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

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	Pownal
People
Population	2,424Highest	1,696Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.9±4.6Lowest 5% above ME	47.2±8.4Highest 5% above ME
	Pownal and Manchester 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%	24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Pownal and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±4.1Lowest ME: 22.4%	23.5%±2.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Pownal and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	49%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Pownal and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,031±$16kLowest 23% above ME	$104,333±$14kHighest 40% above ME
	Pownal and Manchester 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	$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$993±$116Highest 13% below ME	$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME
	Manchester and Pownal 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	$5,212Highest 72% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.9%±18.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest same as ME	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	RSU 38	RSU 05
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.