Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,594, settled in 1907.
Manchester grades D overall, 219th among Georgia's 258 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $51K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $129K, 1.4 years of the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. Manchester's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Manchester Community Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Manchester's public schools trail 89% of Georgia towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Manchester beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4,230 counted in 2010 and 3,584 in 2020; an estimated 3,594 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Manchester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 922 in 1910, a peak of 4,796 in 1980, 3,584 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and a map from 1934 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manchester takes its name from Manchester in Greater Manchester, England, 4,140 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionManchester, settled in 1907, takes its name from Manchester, a city in Greater Manchester, England.
9 more U.S. towns are named after Manchester:Manchester, CT59,773Manchester Township, NJ46,556Manchester, MO18,069Manchester, TN13,776Manchester, WA5,956+4 more
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Manchester, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Manchester.
Manchester trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and fares better on crime within Georgia than nationally, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Homes are within reach (about $129K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 33 miles. At 1.4 years of the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income, the typical home (about $129K) costs less against local pay than in 99% of Georgia towns; that ratio is one input to its A− for cost of living.
47% of Manchester households own their home, where Georgia’s towns sit at 58% and U.S. towns at 73%. The typical Manchester home is worth about $129,000, down 1.2% in a year, 61% below the Georgia typical home.
| Manchester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,038 a month | $1,160 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Meriwether County school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Manchester High School, with 447 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 274 | C+ |
| Manchester High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 447 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
18% of Manchester adults have diabetes, above both Georgia’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (12%). 45% of adults have high blood pressure in Manchester. Manchester beats the Georgia average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20.
| Manchester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 29% | 25% |
| What stands out | Manchester | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.9% | 77.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 41.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 69% of Georgia’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 115 to 49 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 998 in 2013 to 712.
Most working residents leave Manchester for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Manchester fell to 712 in 2023, 286 fewer than in 2013. Manchester’s average trip to work is 30 minutes.
| Manchester | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Manchester has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Manchester is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harmon Field | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manchester. Close and well known come first.
4 mi MuseumLittle White House
13 mi GardenCallaway Gardens36 mi MuseumU.S. Army Armor and Cavalry Collection
38 mi MuseumNational Infantry Museum300K visitors a year
13 mi GardenCecil B. Day Butterfly Center
35 mi MuseumNational Civil War Naval Museum at Port ColumbusLittle White House: Dsdugan, CC0 · Callaway Gardens: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · National Infantry Museum: The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center from Columbus, GA, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center: Dsdugan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus: Gabby Brito, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Manchester; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Manchester residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
Where Manchester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Georgia, United States
Manchester is a city in Meriwether and Talbot counties in the U.S. state of Georgia, although primarily in Meriwether. The population was 3,584 at the 2020 census, down from 4,230 in 2010. It is the most populous community in Meriwether County. The Meriwether portion of the city is in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area, while the Talbot portion is in the Columbus, GA-AL metro area, despite Manchester being located 67 and 39 miles respectively from the two central cities of those metro areas.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Manchester grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #219 of 258 in Georgia. It grades D for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
2 notable people were born here, including Stuart Woods and Antabia Waller.
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