What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($366k median).

Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Dover
People
Population	115,643Highest	33,364Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Highest 12% below NH	36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH
	Manchester and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±1Highest NH: 18.2%	16.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Manchester and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	16.8%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Dover and Manchester 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%	52%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%	6.2%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Manchester and Dover 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	$94,829±$7kHighest 4% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH	$436,700±$20kHighest 8% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH	$1,607±$100Highest 8% above NH
	Dover 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	$8,249Highest 24% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	48.6%±6.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Dover 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%	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	52.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1976Highest 3 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.6%±2.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 120 in NH	#64 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Dover School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Dover Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.7Lowest
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.