What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the oldest population (median age 38).

Durham has the highest household income ($124k).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham
People
Population	115,643Highest	15,080Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Highest 12% below NH	20.8±0.3Lowest 52% below NH
Kids under 18	18%±1Highest NH: 18.2%	10.3%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	15.5%±0.8Highest NH: 20.1%	11.5%±1.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%	75.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Lowest NH: 6%	55.1%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH	$124,056±$21kHighest 25% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH	$504,300±$41kHighest 25% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH	$1,429±$143Lowest 4% below NH
	Manchester and Durham 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	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	66.4%±16Highest NH: 48.2%
	Durham and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	15.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	64.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below NH	19 minLowest 27% below NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.4%±3.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 120 in NH	#9 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Oyster River High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	6 photos →	51 photos →

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.