What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scarborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17%).

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	Scarborough
People
Population	16,151Lowest	23,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+17%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±2.3Lowest 18% above U.S.	48.8±2.7Highest 25% above U.S.
	Scarborough 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%	16.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Exeter and Scarborough 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%	24.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scarborough 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%	57.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Scarborough 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.	$133,558±$21kHighest 65% above U.S.
	Scarborough 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.	$551,900±$39kHighest 66% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,856±$223Lowest 31% above U.S.	$1,956±$178Highest 38% above U.S.
	Scarborough and Exeter 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.	$5,978Lowest 92% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.9%±13.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Scarborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	19.9%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scarborough and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 120 in NH	#35 of 133 in ME
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District	Scarborough Public Schools
High school in town	Exeter High School	Scarborough High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
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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.