What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Merrimac has the most expensive homes ($553k 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	Merrimac
People
Population	16,151Highest	6,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±2.3Lowest 18% above U.S.	49.4±6.8Highest 27% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Exeter 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%	16.5%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Exeter and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Merrimac and Exeter 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%	41%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,346±$13kLowest 37% above U.S.	$123,054±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
	Merrimac and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,600±$21kLowest 37% above U.S.	$553,400±$38kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.	$1,352±$325Lowest 4% below U.S.
	Exeter and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.	$7,399Lowest 137% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Merrimac 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%	9.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#188 of 282 in MA
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Pentucket
High school in town	Exeter High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.