Exeter makes Rhode Island’s top 10 on 8 lists
Exeter is ranked on 37 lists against the 38 Rhode Island towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 8 and the top quarter on 7.
Exeter is on Rhode Island’s podium 2 times
Each list ranks every RI town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Exeter marked.
More year-round than 100% of Rhode Island
Not better or worse, just Exeter’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 3 for trails
Lists where Exeter sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Exeter lands in the top half on 17 of 24 lists
Each dot is Exeter’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in RI, the right end is last. Areas where Exeter does best come first.
Exeter out-ranks 2 of its 7 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every RI list, and where Exeter lands
40 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Newport · 18.9 min
#3 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 West Greenwich · 50.8%
#2
Most trails#1 West Greenwich · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#4
Most walkable#1 Pawtucket · 212 / sq mi
#36 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Westerly · 9.7 per resident
#14
Most library borrowing#1 Barrington · 19.6 per resident
#8
Best libraries for kids#1 Narragansett · 32.7 per child
#5 
Health
Healthiest#1 Barrington · 98 / 100
#16
Lowest obesity#1 Barrington · 25%
#16
Fewest smokers#1 Jamestown · 7%
#24
Most active#1 Barrington · 16%
#9
Fewest uninsured#1 Jamestown · 3%
#21
Lowest depression#1 Jamestown · 21%
#11
Closest to a top hospital#1 Providence · 0.0 mi
#32 People
Most educated#1 Barrington · 73%
#13
Youngest#1 Central Falls · 32.5
#6
Oldest#1 Little Compton · 60.3
#33
Most residents 65+#1 Little Compton · 39.5%
#30
Most kids#1 Barrington · 26.5%
#11 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Charlestown · 33%
#38
Most new homes#1 Little Compton · 3.6 per 1,000
#15
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Newport · +83.2%
#18
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Central Falls · 213.8 per home
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Woonsocket · 3.5 yrs
#26
Cheapest rent#1 Smithfield · $1,016/mo
#16
Lowest property tax#1 Charlestown · $3,365/yr
#30
Rent easiest to afford#1 Tiverton · 31.4%
Climate
Snowiest#1 Coventry · 62 in
#27
Least snow#1 Westerly · 25 in
#5
Mildest winters#1 Newport · 23.9°
#27
Hottest summers#1 Woonsocket · 83.3°
#26
Coolest summers#1 South Kingstown · 80.3°
#13
Longest growing season#1 Newport · 206 days
#34
Wettest#1 Scituate · 51 in
#14 Safety
Safest#1 Glocester · 3.3
The number on the right is Exeter’s spot. All of Rhode Island’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every RI list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.