What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

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	St. Albans	Manchester
People
Population	6,954Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Highest about the U.S. average	38±1Lowest about the U.S. average
	St. Albans and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18%±1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	St. Albans and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±0.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Manchester and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.4%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$81,007±$2kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$365,600±$7kHighest 10% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,564±$37Highest 11% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$5,922Highest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	St. Albans and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Manchester and St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	6 photos →

U.S. 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.