Burlington vs Manchester
The short version
- Burlington is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Manchester area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $365,600 in Manchester and $444,800 in Burlington.
- Households earn more in Manchester ($81,007 vs $71,109 median).
- Burlington gets far more snow: 88 inches a year vs 68.
- Manchester is growing faster: +1% since 2020 vs -1.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Burlington (19 vs 24 minutes each way).
- New Hampshire has no state income tax on wages; Vermont's top rate is 8.75%.
Side by side
| Burlington, VT | Manchester, NH | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 44,019 | 116,818 |
| Growth since 2020 | -1.6% | +1% |
| People per square mile | 4,272 | 3,532 |
| Median age | 26.8 | 38.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 61% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $71,109 | $81,007 |
| Median home value | $444,800 | $365,600 |
| Home value to income | 6.3× | 4.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,649 | $1,564 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.9 | 105.7 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 103.8 | 134.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,700 | $79,200 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 49% |
| Top state income tax | 8.75% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.43% | 0% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.7 | 23.9 |
| Work from home | 19% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.3% | 3.3% |
| Poverty rate | 20.5% | 11.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 29° / 13° | 32° / 13° |
| July high / low | 82° / 62° | 83° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 42 in |
| Snowfall per year | 88 in | 68 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 8 | 14 |
| Nights below freezing | 145 | 165 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Low | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 63.9 | 89.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 88% | 85% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +48.9% | +52.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Burlington: May to September. Manchester: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Burlington weather by month and Manchester weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,700 in Burlington and $79,200 in Manchester. Moving from Burlington to Manchester, you would need about $78,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Burlington and Manchester
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Burlington and Manchester.
Which would you pick?
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