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Compare towns

Exeter vs Taft

82 miles apart. The biggest differences: street grid (6× in Exeter) and trails (7× in Taft).

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Exeter, CAHomes around $388KCalifornia · 10,258 people
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Taft, CAHomes around $207KCalifornia · 7,125 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they differ most

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,050 more a month in Exeter

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Exeter$2,290/mo
Typical home $388K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $1,286/mo · Housing →
Taft$1,240/mo
Typical home $207K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $1,069/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,050 a month, about $12,600 a year, between Exeter and Taft.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Exeter places higher on 11 of 20 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ExeterTaft
Snow a year0″0″
January low37°F41°F
July high96°F99°F
Growing season (days)284d330d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th85th
Outdoors & history
ExeterTaft
Trails3 mi18 mi
Conserved land3.2%0.3%
National Register places11
Archive photos11—
Famous people born here9—
Community
ExeterTaft
Library hours a week26 hrs20 hrs
Colleges in town—1
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

82 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Exeter ↔ Taft82 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ExeterTaft
People
Population 10,258Highest 7,125Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.1%Highest CA: +6.1% -8.4%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 34.8±2.8Lowest 8% below CA 37.1±5.2Highest about the CA average
Taft and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 28.7%±4.8Highest CA: 22% 19.1%±5.6Lowest CA: 22%
Exeter and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 13.9%±2.5Lowest CA: 15.7% 14.4%±6.4Highest CA: 15.7%
Taft and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.9%Highest CA: 37.1% 9%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±1.9Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±2.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Taft and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $75,769±$11kHighest 24% below CA $72,772±$22kLowest 27% below CA
Exeter and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $307,600±$31kHighest 58% below CA $252,600±$22kLowest 66% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,286±$113Highest 37% below CA $1,069±$189Lowest 47% below CA
Exeter and Taft are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,418Highest 53% below CA $2,244Lowest 56% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.2%±12.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 52.6%±17.6Highest CA: 55.3%
Taft and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Lowest CA: 12% 16.9%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.7%Lowest CA: 55.9% 55%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 3 yrs newer than CA 1971Lowest 5 yrs older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 28% below CA 19 minLowest 34% below CA
Work from home 3.4%±2Lowest CA: 17.2% 4.4%±4.6Highest CA: 17.2%
Taft and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 11.7%Lowest 27.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 27.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.95Lowest 1.15Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Visalia (27%)Bakersfield (17%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TaftFew work in Exeter
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Highest 0.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miLowest 18.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miLowest 1.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Highest 3Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 19.7Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#243 of 574 in CA
School district Exeter UnifiedTaft City · Taft Union High
High school in town Exeter Union HighTaft Union High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.0Highest 18.3Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Exeter neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Exeter’s Town Square.

Taft neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Taft’s Town Square.

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Towns like Exeter

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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