What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Brewer	Exeter
People
Population	9,652Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
	Exeter and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Brewer High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.