What stands out worked out from the figures below

Exeter has the most people working from home (17.2%).

Johnston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Johnston
People
Population	7,195Lowest	29,835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+2.8%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	37.7±5.9Lowest 7% below RI	44.5±2.5Highest 10% above RI
	Johnston and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±4.7Highest RI: 18.8%	17.5%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Exeter and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.8Lowest RI: 18.7%	22.1%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%
	Johnston and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.1%Highest RI: 37.7%	28.9%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±6.3Highest RI: 8.3%	6.1%±1.6Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Exeter and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,250±$30kHighest 27% above RI	$91,866±$6kLowest 5% above RI
	Exeter and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$509,200±$43kHighest 26% above RI	$355,500±$13kLowest 12% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,317±$307Highest about the RI average	$1,275±$132Lowest 5% below RI
	Exeter and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,881Highest 20% above RI	$4,614Lowest 6% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	91%±26.7Highest RI: 48%	38.1%±8.7Lowest RI: 48%
Below poverty line	12.8%Highest RI: 11.2%	7.9%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.3%Highest RI: 63.6%	75.9%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 25 yrs newer than RI	1968Lowest 6 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 12% below RI	24 minHighest 7% below RI
Work from home	17.2%±6.1Highest RI: 13%	9.9%±2.3Lowest RI: 13%
	Exeter and Johnston 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	#14 of 38 in RI	#32 of 38 in RI
School district	Exeter-West Greenwich	Johnston
High school in town	None in town	Johnston Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.