What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% rent).

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+20%).

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	Auburn
People
Population	115,643Highest	6,119Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+20%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Lowest 12% below NH	44.3±5.9Highest about the NH average
	Auburn and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.3%±4.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Auburn and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±0.8Highest NH: 20.1%	13.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Manchester and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%	55.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Lowest NH: 6%	7.2%±4.7Highest NH: 6%
	Auburn and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH	$153,253±$6kHighest 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH	$600,300±$29kHighest 49% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH	$1,893±$822Highest 27% above NH
	Auburn and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH	$8,092Highest 21% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±27Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below NH	28 minHighest 4% above NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	26.5%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 120 in NH	#44 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Auburn School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	6 photos →	None yet

NH 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.