What stands out worked out from the figures below

Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Barre
People
Population	16,151Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Exeter and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Exeter and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Exeter High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.7Lowest
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.