What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($185k 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	Waterville	Exeter
People
Population	17,077Highest	16,151Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.	45.8±2.3Highest 18% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Exeter and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$110,346±$13kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.	$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,856±$223Highest 31% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.	$8,814Highest 183% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Exeter and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Exeter and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 133 in ME	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	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.