What stands out worked out from the figures below

Vernon has the most expensive homes ($276k median).

Manchester has the most kids (20% under 18).

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	Vernon	Manchester
People
Population	30,577Lowest	59,635Highest
Median age	39.4±2.5Highest 4% below CT	37±1.2Lowest 10% below CT
	Vernon and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%	20%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%	15.5%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Lowest CT: 42.5%	40.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,356±$6kLowest 11% below CT	$86,840±$4kHighest 9% below CT
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,500±$11kHighest 25% below CT	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$77Lowest 4% below CT	$1,519±$66Highest about the CT average
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,804Highest 13% below CT	$5,652Lowest 15% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.3%±5.7Lowest CT: 52.6%	48.1%±6.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Manchester and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest CT: 10%	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	56.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT	1962Lowest 5 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	23 minLowest 15% below CT
Work from home	13.4%±2.5Lowest CT: 16%	14.3%±1.9Highest CT: 16%
	Manchester and Vernon 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	#107 of 149 in CT	#135 of 149 in CT
School district	Vernon School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District
High school in town	Rockville High School	Manchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.