What stands out worked out from the figures below

Exeter has the most people working from home (19.9%).

Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Ellsworth
People
Population	16,151Highest	8,657Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.	43±2.4Lowest 11% 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	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.4%±3.5Highest 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+	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.3Lowest 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+	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±2Lowest 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	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.	$77,375±$18kLowest 4% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.	$242,300±$22kLowest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	62.1%±15.7Highest 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	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#63 of 133 in ME
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Ellsworth Public Schools
High school in town	Exeter High School	Ellsworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	12.7Highest
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.