What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($354k median).

Manchester has the shortest commute (14 min average).

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	Windham	Manchester
People
Population	594Lowest	4,486Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.1% VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.2±7.4Lowest about the VT average	54.5±6.3Highest 26% above VT
	Manchester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±7.9Highest VT: 17.9%	16.9%±4.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Windham and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±8.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.7%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Manchester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	47.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.1Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,500±$12kLowest 16% above VT	$94,886±$23kHighest 17% above VT
	Manchester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,900±$20kLowest 12% above VT	$454,600±$47kHighest 44% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,057±$76 14% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,951Highest 18% above VT	$5,923Lowest 18% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±94Lowest VT: 48.4%	56.5%±13.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Manchester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	16.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 14% above VT	14 minLowest 39% below VT
Work from home	20.5%±5.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	23.1%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Manchester and Windham 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	—	#37 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.