What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($282k median).

Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Auburn	Exeter
People
Population	24,602Highest	16,151Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.7Lowest 6% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
	Exeter and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Auburn and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,647±$5kLowest 17% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,000±$12kLowest 15% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,041±$74Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,687Lowest 18% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#110 of 133 in ME	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Auburn Public Schools	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Edward Little High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	59 photos →

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.