What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolfeboro has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Wolfeboro
People
Population	115,643Highest	6,571Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38±1Lowest 12% below NH	57±1.8Highest 32% above NH
Kids under 18	18%±1Highest NH: 18.2%	13.7%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Manchester and Wolfeboro 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%	34.6%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH	$94,375±$22kHighest 5% below NH
	Wolfeboro and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH	$546,500±$60kHighest 36% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,564±$37Highest 5% above NH	$1,103±$76Lowest 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,922Highest 11% below NH	$4,531Lowest 32% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%	12%±11.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	78.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below NH	24 minLowest 11% below NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.9%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 120 in NH	#46 of 120 in NH
School district	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	Manchester Memorial High School	Kingswood Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	11.1Lowest
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.