Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Manchester is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, ranked 14th of 259 in Maryland. The median household earns $122K, its schools outperform 92% of the state's, and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 82% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a B−, is in cost of living. On walkability, just 17 of Maryland’s 328 towns do worse. Manchester’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.6 in Maryland’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Only one of the 55 Maryland towns we compare has a lower level of property crime than Manchester.
Where Manchester beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester Elementary | PK–5 | 671 |
| Ebb Valley Elementary | PK–5 | 563 |
| Grace Bible Christian Preschool & Kindergarten | PK–K | 95 |
4,808 counted in 2010 and 5,408 in 2020; an estimated 5,426 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 12.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far Manchester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 517 in 1850, a low of 273 in 1890, 5,408 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1877 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
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 Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Manchester.
Manchester has schools in the top 5% of Maryland, fares better on crime within Maryland than nationally and has less food insecurity than most of Maryland.
3.2 miles of trail wind through 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Christmas Tree Park | — | 10 |
| 2. Westside Memorial Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade ranks #6 of the 261 Maryland towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Carroll County Public Schools. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Manchester Valley High, with 1,339 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 671 | B+ |
| Manchester Valley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,339 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Manchester than in 92% of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Manchester after 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2016. Expected losses in Manchester break down as 53% from inland flooding and 13% from strong winds.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 94% of Maryland’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate for Manchester comes to 2.2 per 1,000 residents, where Maryland’s towns sit at 2.4 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its widest gap with Maryland is food insecurity: 8.7% of its 4,027 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.4% statewide. Against the 5,486 U.S. towns with household incomes like Manchester’s, it is less healthy than 51%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
In Manchester, 6.1% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. The town does better than the Maryland average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 4. 31% of adults in Manchester feel lonely; 76% had a checkup this year.
| Manchester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 34% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Manchester | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 15.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 8.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.4% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 3% of working residents stay in Manchester for work; the rest commute out. The town had 781 jobs in 2023, down 94 from 2013. The average commute for Manchester comes to 33 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 22 miles away.
| Manchester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $122,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 19% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among 261 Maryland towns, just 2 have a lower midsummer high than Manchester. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 22° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 37%, against 44% across Maryland. By age, Manchester looks like Maryland: each broad group is within 4 points. For residents locally, the share who are under 18 is 25%.
| Manchester | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 25% | 23% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 42% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 16% | 18% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.5 points. Across Maryland, 51.3% of residents are women.
| Manchester | MD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.6% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.1% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.7% | 13.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9% | 9.9% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 23.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.3% | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 6.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.1% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.9% | 20.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
65% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.5% across Maryland.
Among households in Manchester, 84% own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Manchester. Close and well known come first.
Big draw29 mi LandmarkRaven Rock Mountain Complex
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaM&T Bank Stadium
29 mi Stadium & arenaOriole Park at Camden Yards
33 mi MuseumNS Savannah
31 mi National MonumentFort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine283K visitors a year
29 mi MuseumWalters Art MuseumRaven Rock Mountain Complex: US Government, Public domain · M&T Bank Stadium: United States Department of Defense Cherie Cullen, Public domain · Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0 · NS Savannah: Elton Lord/Atomic Energy Commission, Public domain · Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: ScottyBoy900Q at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walters Art Museum: Dylan k, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Manchester
About 5 of every 100 Manchester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
Where Manchester’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Manchester.
Town in Maryland, United States
Manchester is a small incorporated town in northeastern Carroll County, Maryland, United States, located just south of the Pennsylvania state line and north of Baltimore. As of the 2020 census, Manchester had a population of 5,408. Manchester was incorporated in 1833 and is the second oldest incorporated area in Carroll County after Westminster, which was incorporated in 1818. The town was originally formed as a part of Baltimore County, before the creation of Carroll County in 1837. It is governed by an elected mayor and an elected five-person town council. Manchester lies in the humid continental climate region, marked by cold and snowy winters but humid and hot summers. This climate is i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Manchester grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #14 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Manchester reports less crime per resident than 82% of U.S. towns, an A− Safety Grade: 12 violent and 9 property crimes in 2025.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($99,470 across the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Doug Flutie and Chrystelle Trump Bond.
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