Best PlacesHighlands, Manchester, NH Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Highlands, Manchester, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Highlands, Manchester ranks 2,088th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Highlands, Manchester
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Highlands, Manchester's strengths and weaknesses
Where Highlands, Manchester ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 90% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 89% of neighborhoods
Where Highlands, Manchester ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Highlands, Manchester
A household needs to earn about $83,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Highlands, Manchester home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $96,539, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Highlands, Manchester's effective rate of 1.47%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Highlands, Manchester
Highlands, Manchester's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Highlands, Manchester.
Who works in Highlands, Manchester, and how
Work in Highlands, Manchester centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in Highlands, Manchester
Highlands, Manchester has more parkland per resident than 98% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 39 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Highlands, Manchester and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Highlands, Manchester, month by month
Highlands, Manchester sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 29° | 20° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 37° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 64° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Highlands, Manchester
The nearest airport, Manchester Boston Regional, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 47 miles away.
The best schools in and around Highlands, Manchester
Schools across Highlands, Manchester average a D, better than 13% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Highland-goffes Falls SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Bakersville SchoolD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Southside Middle SchoolD− · 14% proficient
Top high schools
- Manchester School Of Technology (high School)D · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Highlands, Manchester school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Highlands, Manchester measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Highlands, Manchester against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Highlands, Manchester
Is Highlands, Manchester a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Highlands, Manchester ranks 2,088th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low taxes, low crime, and few empty homes, and lowest on biking and transit. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Highlands, Manchester expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $290,958. The overall cost of living runs about 2% above the national average. Set against a $96,539 median income, cost of living beats 67% of neighborhoods.
Is Highlands, Manchester safe?
Yes, Highlands, Manchester is safer than 98% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $168 per resident a year.
Compare Highlands, Manchester with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Highlands, Manchester. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Highlands, Manchester represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Highlands, Manchester detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Highlands, Manchester: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Highlands, Manchester: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Highlands, Manchester: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Highlands, Manchester: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Highlands, Manchester detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.