Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
An even record, with no subject far from the norm. Manchester grades B− overall and ranks 377th of 745 in New York. It comes out better than 52% of U.S. towns. Its strongest subject is cost of living: a typical home costs about $136K, 1.8 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. The weak point is schools — its schools rank behind 69% of the state's. It also trails on walkability. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns. Only 114 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · USGS PAD-US.
Where Manchester beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Manchester is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,811 in 1830, 9,406 in 2020. The archive holds 3 maps from 1902 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Manchester.
Manchester is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Its public schools are run by the Manchester-Shortsville Central School District. Also worth knowing: 3 public schools serve Manchester, with 715 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Jacket Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 323 | C+ |
| Red Jacket High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 232 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Manchester’s typical July afternoon high stands at 81°F, near the New York town median (81°F) and below the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Of the losses FEMA expects in Manchester, 82% come from inland flooding. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in two thirds of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1984: one.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 4,108 working residents takes 22.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
For Manchester, the median household income is $69,000. Most working residents leave Manchester for work: only 13% work in town. 14% of Manchester residents live below the poverty line, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Rochester (9%), Farmington (5%) and Canandaigua (5%).
| Manchester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,433 U.S. towns with household incomes like Manchester’s, it is healthier than 74%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Manchester: 15% of adults report frequent physical distress. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Manchester is ahead of New York on 6 and behind on 8.
| Manchester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Manchester | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.4% | 17.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.3% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Across 5 parks and preserves: 2.5 miles of trail. For Manchester, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Manchester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Canandaigua Outlet Access | — | 10 |
| 2. Budd Park | — | 10 |
| 3. John Brown Memorial Park | 0.1 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.8 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
In Manchester, just over four in five households are owner-occupiers. Its rent at the middle of the market comes in at $926 a month.
| Manchester | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $926 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
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.
in town MountainCumorah
27 mi LakeSeneca Lake
32 mi LakeCayuga Lake
23 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
24 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
24 mi MuseumThe National Museum of PlayCumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · The National Museum of Play: Misc, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Manchester
About 5 of every 100 Manchester residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Manchester on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Manchester.
Town in New York, United States
Manchester is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 9,406 at the 2020 census. The town was named after one of its villages, which in turn was named after the city of Manchester in England. It was formed in 1822 from the town of Farmington. The Town of Manchester includes a village also named Manchester. The town is northeast of the city of Canandaigua.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Manchester.
Farmington next door grades higher for schools (A− to Manchester’s C) and lower for cost of living (C to B+).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | #377 | B− | B+ | — | C | B |
| Farmington | #263 | B+ | C | — | A− | A− |
| Hopewell | #252 | B+ | B− | — | B− | B+ |
| Arcadia | #591 | C− | B− | — | C− | C |
| Palmyra | #397 | B− | B+ | — | C | B |
| Macedon | #409 | B− | C+ | — | C | A− |
Manchester, Farmington, Hopewell, Arcadia, Palmyra and Macedon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Manchester with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Manchester grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #377 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C for schools.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $136,000, 74% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
3 notable people were born here, including Mary Artemisia Lathbury and Moreau S. Crosby.
