What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medfield has the highest household income ($236k).

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	Medfield	Exeter
People
Population	13,068Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±3Lowest 9% above U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
	Exeter and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$235,800±$32kHighest 192% above U.S.	$110,346±$13kLowest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$911,100±$32kHighest 174% above U.S.	$456,600±$21kLowest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,035±$559Highest 44% above U.S.	$1,856±$223Lowest 31% above U.S.
	Medfield and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$8,814Lowest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.1%±20.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Medfield and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	36.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 282 in MA	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Medfield	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Medfield Senior High	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.