What stands out worked out from the figures below

Farmington has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

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	Farmington	Exeter
People
Population	6,795Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.1±7.1Highest 13% above NH	45.8±2.3Lowest 6% above NH
	Farmington and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.1%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Exeter and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.4%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Exeter and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	59.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,943±$4kLowest 32% below NH	$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$289,200±$47kLowest 28% below NH	$456,600±$21kHighest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$110Lowest 26% below NH	$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,723Lowest 29% below NH	$8,814Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±16Lowest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Exeter and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 7% above NH	25 minLowest 7% below NH
Work from home	14.5%±5.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Exeter and Farmington 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	#106 of 120 in NH	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Farmington School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Farmington Senior High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	5.5Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	59 photos →

NH 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.