What stands out worked out from the figures below

Exeter has the most affordable homes ($457k median).

Andover has the most expensive homes ($856k median).

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	Exeter	Andover
People
Population	16,151Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Exeter and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,346±$13kLowest 37% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,600±$21kLowest 37% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Lowest 31% above U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
	Andover and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,814Lowest 183% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Exeter High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	59 photos →	None yet

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.