What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% rent).

Sutton has the most homeowners (95.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	115,643Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Lowest 12% below NH	48.1±4.1Highest 11% above NH
Kids under 18	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.5%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sutton 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%	21.6%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Sutton 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%	44.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%	4.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Manchester and Sutton 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	$130,313±$31kHighest 32% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kHighest 9% below NH	$362,600±$16kLowest 10% below NH
	Manchester and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH	$1,656±$614Highest 11% above NH
	Sutton 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	$7,652Highest 15% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±47.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Sutton 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%	4.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1971Highest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below NH	29 minHighest 10% above NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.8%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Sutton 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	—
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.4Lowest
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.