Compare towns
Dartmouth vs Dracut vs Exeter
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dartmouth has the most expensive homes ($497k median).
Dracut has the most kids (21.4% under 18).
Exeter has the most people working from home (19.9%).
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.
| Measure | Dartmouth | Dracut | Exeter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 33,328Highest |
32,574 |
16,151Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+10.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.5±2 9% above U.S. |
41.7±2Lowest 7% above U.S. |
45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S. |
| Exeter and Dartmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
17%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
| Dracut and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21%±1.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Exeter and Dartmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 39% U.S.: 35.7% |
36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 14.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.1%±1.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $99,839±$8kLowest 24% above U.S. |
$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S. |
$110,346±$13k 37% above U.S. |
| Dracut and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $496,500±$20kHighest 49% above U.S. |
$473,900±$17k 42% above U.S. |
$456,600±$21kLowest 37% above U.S. |
| Dartmouth and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,462±$159Lowest 3% above U.S. |
$1,839±$130 30% above U.S. |
$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S. |
| Exeter and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,263Lowest 37% above U.S. |
$5,375 72% above U.S. |
$8,814Highest 183% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 54%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.6%±7.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Exeter and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 76% U.S.: 65.2% |
79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min about the U.S. average |
30 minHighest 15% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.4%±2.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #115 of 282 in MA | #201 of 282 in MA | #22 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Dartmouth | Dracut | Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District |
| High school in town | Dartmouth High | Dracut Senior High | Exeter High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.9Lowest |
12.9Highest |
12.1 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.