What stands out worked out from the figures below

Nashua has the most people working from home (17.4%).

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% rent).

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	Nashua	Manchester
People
Population	91,294Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40±1.3Highest 8% below NH	38±1Lowest 12% below NH
	Nashua and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±1.2Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Nashua and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±1Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Nashua and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.6Lowest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,326±$5kHighest about the NH average	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$403,900±$11kHighest about the NH average	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,737±$41Highest 16% above NH	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,799Highest about the NH average	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Nashua are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	17.4%±1.6Highest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 120 in NH	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Nashua School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	Nashua High School South	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	6 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.