What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lisbon 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	Lisbon	Exeter
People
Population	1,583Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.4±5.7Highest 7% above NH	45.8±2.3Lowest 6% above NH
	Lisbon and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±6.2Highest NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lisbon and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.4%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Exeter and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	59.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Exeter and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,500±$13kLowest 34% below NH	$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$198,000±$19kLowest 51% below NH	$456,600±$21kHighest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,344±$303Lowest 10% below NH	$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH
	Exeter and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,691Lowest 30% below NH	$8,814Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±18.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Exeter and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 19% below NH	25 minHighest 7% below NH
Work from home	10.3%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Lisbon Regional School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Lisbon Regional School (High)	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	6.4Lowest	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.