What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester 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	Rochester
People
Population	115,643Highest	33,144Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Lowest 12% below NH	43±1.8Highest about the NH average
Kids under 18	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.2%±1.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Rochester and Manchester 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%	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,007±$2kHighest 18% below NH	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH
	Manchester and Rochester 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	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,922Highest 11% below NH	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Rochester 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%	66%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Manchester and Rochester 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	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	13.2Lowest
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.