What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has the most affordable homes ($262k 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	Franklin	Exeter
People
Population	8,799Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.7±2Lowest about the NH average	45.8±2.3Highest 6% above NH
	Exeter and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.5Highest NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Franklin and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.4%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Exeter and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	59.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Exeter and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,648±$4kLowest 28% below NH	$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kLowest 35% below NH	$456,600±$21kHighest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Lowest 26% below NH	$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Lowest 27% below NH	$8,814Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Exeter and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 20 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	25 minLowest 7% below NH
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 120 in NH	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Franklin School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Franklin High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	12.1Lowest
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.