What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hyde Park has the most affordable homes ($198k 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	Hyde Park	Exeter
People
Population	3,000Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±3.9Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
	Exeter and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hyde Park and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Exeter and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,375±$9kLowest 5% above U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$198,400±$39kLowest 40% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,007±$340Lowest 29% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,883Lowest 24% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±14.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979 1 yr older than U.S.	1979 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	8.2%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#59 of 70 in VT	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058B · Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Lamoille Union High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	59 photos →

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.