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Compare towns

Exeter vs Tehachapi

89 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (5.8× in Tehachapi) and street grid (3.3× in Exeter).

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Exeter, CAHomes around $388KCalifornia · 10,258 people
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Tehachapi, CAHomes around $424KCalifornia · 11,946 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 part ways

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

★ What stands out · Report cards

Exeter places higher on 14 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $240 more a month in Tehachapi

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 →
Tehachapi$2,530/mo
Typical home $424K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $1,295/mo · Housing →

The difference: $240 a month, about $2,900 a year, between Tehachapi and Exeter.

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.

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
ExeterTehachapi
Snow a year0″—
January low37°F—
July high96°F—
Growing season (days)284d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)37th90th
Outdoors & history
ExeterTehachapi
Trails3 mi15 mi
Conserved land3.2%1.8%
Settled—1876
National Register places12
Archive photos1118
Famous people born here94
Community
ExeterTehachapi
Library hours a week26 hrs32 hrs
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

89 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Exeter ↔ Tehachapi89 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.

ExeterTehachapi
People
Population 10,258Lowest 11,946Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -0.1%Highest CA: +6.1% -10.2%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 34.8±2.8Lowest 8% below CA 39.1±2.7Highest 3% above CA
Tehachapi 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% 19.8%±3.6Lowest CA: 22%
Age 65+ 13.9%±2.5Highest CA: 15.7% 13.4%±2.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Exeter and Tehachapi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.9%Lowest CA: 37.1% 15.5%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±1.9Highest CA: 7.6% 5.2%±1.5Lowest CA: 7.6%
Exeter and Tehachapi 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 $72,957±$13kLowest 26% below CA
Exeter and Tehachapi are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $307,600±$31kLowest 58% below CA $355,500±$13kHighest 52% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,286±$113Lowest 37% below CA $1,295±$129Highest 36% below CA
Tehachapi and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,418Lowest 53% below CA $3,074Highest 40% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 44.2%±12.2Lowest CA: 55.3% 46.8%±9.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Tehachapi and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 14.2%Highest CA: 12% 13.9%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 54.7%Lowest CA: 55.9% 58.5%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Lowest 3 yrs newer than CA 1982Highest 6 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minLowest 28% below CA 27 minHighest 6% below CA
Work from home 3.4%±2Lowest CA: 17.2% 7.2%±3.5Highest CA: 17.2%
Tehachapi 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 21.8%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 12.3 miLowest 37.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.95Lowest 1.36Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Visalia (27%)Bakersfield (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in TehachapiFew work in Exeter
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.2%Highest 1.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.6 miLowest 15.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miLowest 1.5 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 118Highest 35.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#252 of 574 in CA
School district Exeter UnifiedEPIC de Cesar Chavez District · Tehachapi Unified
High school in town Exeter Union HighTehachapi High
Students per teacherat that high school 24.0Highest 22.5Lowest
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.

Tehachapi neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Tehachapi’s Town Square.

Add a town

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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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