What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield	Exeter
People
Population	154,749Highest	16,151Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Springfield and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 35% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 26% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Lowest 18% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#276 of 282 in MA	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Springfield	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Highest	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.