What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most kids (19% under 18).

Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).

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	Wayne
People
Population	2,424Highest	1,101Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	-5%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.9±4.6Lowest 5% above ME	55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME
	Wayne and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%	13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Manchester and Wayne 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%	29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wayne 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%	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wayne 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	$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME
	Wayne 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	$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME
	Wayne and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$993±$116Highest 13% below ME	$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME
	Manchester and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,486Highest 15% above ME	$3,289Lowest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.9%±18.6Highest ME: 48.4%	25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Manchester and Wayne 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%	7.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest same as ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 19% below ME	30 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Wayne and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 38	RSU 38
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.