What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitefield has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Exeter has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Whitefield	Exeter
People
Population	2,516Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.4±4.6Highest 19% above NH	45.8±2.3Lowest 6% above NH
	Whitefield and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Exeter and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.6%±5.4Highest NH: 20.1%	24.4%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Whitefield and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	59.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±3.2Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Exeter and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,125±$12kLowest 36% below NH	$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$22kLowest 40% below NH	$456,600±$21kHighest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,077±$160Lowest 28% below NH	$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,394Lowest 34% below NH	$8,814Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.9%±15.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Exeter and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 14 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	25 minLowest 7% below NH
Work from home	7.2%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#86 of 120 in NH	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	White Mountains Regional High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	59 photos →

NH 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.