What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

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.

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

Measure	Ellsworth	Exeter
People
Population	8,657Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±2.4Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
	Exeter and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ellsworth and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 133 in ME	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Ellsworth Public Schools	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Ellsworth High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	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.