What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westerly has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

Exeter has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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	Westerly	Exeter
People
Population	23,333Highest	7,195Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	52.2±2.4Highest 29% above RI	37.7±5.9Lowest 7% below RI
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.8%	19.7%±4.7Highest RI: 18.8%
	Exeter and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%	18.2%±3.8Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%	46.1%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.5Lowest RI: 8.3%	11.1%±6.3Highest RI: 8.3%
	Exeter and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,875±$5kLowest 13% above RI	$111,250±$30kHighest 27% above RI
	Exeter and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$466,600±$15kLowest 15% above RI	$509,200±$43kHighest 26% above RI
	Exeter and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,257±$131Lowest 6% below RI	$1,317±$307Highest about the RI average
	Exeter and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 21% below RI	$5,881Highest 20% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±10.4Lowest RI: 48%	91%±26.7Highest RI: 48%
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest RI: 11.2%	12.8%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.7%Lowest RI: 63.6%	80.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 11 yrs newer than RI	1987Highest 25 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 5% below RI	22 minLowest 12% below RI
Work from home	11.5%±2.5Lowest RI: 13%	17.2%±6.1Highest RI: 13%
	Exeter and Westerly 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	#25 of 38 in RI	#14 of 38 in RI
School district	Westerly	Exeter-West Greenwich
High school in town	Westerly High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.