What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most homeowners (96.9%).

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

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	Salisbury	Manchester
People
Population	1,609Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH	38±1Lowest 12% below NH
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±0.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kLowest 10% below NH	$365,600±$7kHighest 9% below NH
	Manchester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH
	Salisbury and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Lowest 12% below NH	$5,922Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Manchester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above NH	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Salisbury 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	Merrimack Valley School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	None in town	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.3
On TownTapestry
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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.