What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	St. Albans	Exeter
People
Population	6,954Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	St. Albans and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Exeter and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 70 in VT	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	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.