What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has the most affordable homes ($228k 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	Brandon	Exeter
People
Population	4,120Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Lowest 18% above U.S.
	Brandon and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brandon and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 70 in VT	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	12.1Highest
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.