What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Putnam has the most affordable homes ($269k 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	Putnam
People
Population	16,151Highest	9,292Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.	43.7±3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Exeter and Putnam 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%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Putnam 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%	18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Putnam 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%	20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Putnam 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.	$70,561±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.	$269,200±$11kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.	$1,149±$44Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.	$3,860Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Putnam 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%	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 min 6% below U.S.	25 min 6% below U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#128 of 149 in CT
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Putnam School District
High school in town	Exeter High School	Putnam High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	9.5Lowest
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.