What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).

Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k median).

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	Keene
People
Population	115,643Highest	22,939Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Highest 12% below NH	37.6±2.3Lowest 13% below NH
	Manchester and Keene 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%	14.1%±1.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	19.5%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Lowest NH: 6%	13.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,007±$2kHighest 18% below NH	$78,445±$8kLowest 21% below NH
	Manchester and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kHighest 9% below NH	$252,500±$12kLowest 37% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH	$1,342±$68Lowest 10% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH	$6,812Highest about the NH average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	44.5%±6.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Keene 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%	10.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	55.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 13 yrs older than NH	1961Lowest 18 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.6%±2.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Keene and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 120 in NH	#81 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Keene School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Keene High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.3Lowest
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.