Manchester has lower unemployment (2.5%) than 77% of U.S. towns
Only 6% work in Manchester; the top destination outside it is Augusta (36%, 6 miles). Jobs and income earn Manchester B+; getting around on foot earns it C. Measured by household income, Manchester is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Manchester at work: what stands out
A lot of Manchester works one town over
42% of working residents work in a town that borders Manchester: Augusta (36%), Readfield (3%) and Winthrop (3%). Next door ↓
The better-paid jobs are outside Manchester
66% of Manchester residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, but only 48% of the jobs based in Manchester pay that much. Most residents work elsewhere: 94% leave town for their job. The jobs ↓
Commutes from Manchester are quick
The average trip to work takes 20 minutes, against 25 across Maine. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Maine worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in Manchester: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Manchester is better than 74% of U.S. towns. The poverty rate holds Manchester’s grade up (4.5%, U.S. 12.5%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 32% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Manchester could be anywhere from B− to A.
What the 746 jobs in Manchester are
746 jobs are based in Manchester.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Manchester, 2013 → 2023: 705 → 746. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Manchester’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Manchester’s commute takes about 20 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Manchester workers work from home, vs 16% across Maine. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,075 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across Maine: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Manchester on a workday afternoon
On a workday 1,140 residents head out to work, 79 work right here, and 667 people come in from elsewhere.
About 2,000 people are in Manchester on a workday afternoon, 19% fewer than live here.
0.61 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Out of Manchester to work: where people go
Where Manchester clocks in
36% of workers
4% of workers
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Half of Manchester commutes less than 8 miles
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
For most of Manchester, work means a drive
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Manchester is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 5.0% across Maine.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,220 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.5% of Manchester households have no vehicle (Maine 6.8%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Manchester’s commuters take a bus or train.
Manchester places 1,099th of 5,401 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,700 to 3,400
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 308 | Dayton ME | 2,182 | $114K | 3.7% | 0.2% | 5% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 769 | Newcastle ME | 1,915 | $90K | 3.5% | 0.0% | 10% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 774 | West Bath ME | 1,970 | $103K | 3.2% | 3.5% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,097 | Florida NY | 2,852 | $123K | 6.8% | 4.6% | 8% | B+ |
| 1,098 | Laurel Park NC | 2,360 | $90K | 5.5% | 2.9% | 3% | B+ |
| 1,099 | Manchester ME | 2,492 | $92K | 4.5% | 2.5% | 6% | B+ |
| 1,100 | Valley Township MI | 2,337 | $87K | 8.3% | 0.3% | 1% | B+ |
| 1,101 | Mohican Township OH | 2,088 | $83K | 8.6% | 0.6% | 6% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 5,401 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Manchester, the top three, the last and three more from Maine.
Bordering towns draw 42% of Manchester’s workers
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Manchester workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | – | B+ | C | 20 min | $92,031 |
| Augusta | 36% | C− | A− | 19 min | $47,979 |
| Farmingdale | under 3% | C+ | C− | 27 min | $71,635 |
| Hallowell | under 3% | B+ | A | 14 min | $68,398 |
| Readfield | 3% | B− | B | 30 min | $86,504 |
| Winthrop | 3% | B− | C+ | 35 min | $86,470 |
| West Gardiner | under 3% | B+ | B− | 24 min | $96,172 |
| Belgrade | under 3% | B− | D | 23 min | $88,338 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Augusta. Darker towns draw more of Manchester’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Manchester: questions
What is the median household income in Manchester?
$92,031 (±$15,733) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $74,733 across Maine and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Manchester?
4.5%, against 10.7% across Maine and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Manchester?
20 minutes each way on average, against 25 across Maine and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Manchester work?
6% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Augusta (36%, 6 mi), Lewiston (4%, 23 mi), Gardiner (4%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Manchester walkable?
Manchester is more walkable than 30% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Manchester without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Manchester, from the people who make the trip.
More of Manchester
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.