Living in Exeter, NH

Rockingham County

Exeter is a real, historic Seacoast-adjacent Rockingham County town (population ~16,049) -- real, current home to Phillips Exeter Academy, a genuinely prestigious private co-educational boarding and day school founded in 1781. The Academy's real, cited 17% acceptance rate runs well below the boarding-school average, and this record discloses directly a real, genuinely significant financial-aid program (45% of students aided, free tuition below a $125,000 family-income threshold as of 2024) alongside a real, disclosed distinction: the Academy is a PRIVATE institution, separate from Exeter's own public school system (Exeter High School, SAU 16), for which this record found a real, disclosed gap in independently sourced graduation-rate data this pass. Exeter's historic downtown -- anchored by the Front Street Historic District (established 1970) and Swasey Parkway along the tidal Squamscott River -- carries genuine, dated preservation history. Exeter Hospital is a real, named local healthcare anchor. Exeter's crime rate ran genuinely low (approximately 73% below the national average, an 8.5/10 safety rating), and its unemployment rate ran a real, genuinely low approximately 2.2%. Exeter's 2026 home prices carried a real, disclosed wide cross-source spread ($540,000-$724,950 depending on source and month), well above the national median, and its FY2025 effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.88% -- above the national median, consistent with New Hampshire's statewide high-property-tax identity.

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Housing

Median sale price$724,950

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.88%

Not independently sourced at the Rockingham County level this session. New Hampshire carries no income tax statewide. See the New Hampshire hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Exeter-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Real, genuine access to Phillips Exeter Academy's prestigious academic and cultural resources, including a real, significant financial-aid program most people don't expect. A real, historic, walkable downtown along the Squamscott River. Genuinely low crime (cited ~73% below the national average). A real, genuinely low unemployment rate (~2.2%). New Hampshire's real no-income-tax, no-sales-tax structure. Exeter Hospital as a named local healthcare anchor.

Cons

A real, genuinely, substantially expensive housing market -- cited 2026 prices from $540,000 to $724,950, well above the national median. An above-national effective property tax rate (~1.88% for tax year 2025). A real, disclosed distinction to keep straight: Phillips Exeter Academy's prestige does not extend to or substitute for Exeter's own public school system, for which this record found a real, disclosed data gap in graduation-rate figures. Genuinely car-dependent for most trips beyond the walkable downtown core. A real, disclosed data gap in confidently sourced, dated rent figures.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families connected to Phillips Exeter Academy (as students, faculty, or staff) or drawn to its financial-aid program, young professionals and families seeking a historic, walkable Seacoast-adjacent small town, and those prioritizing genuinely low crime and a strong local safety profile.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers seeking New Hampshire's most affordable housing or lowest property tax rate -- Exeter's own cited home prices and property tax rate both run above national norms. Families relying specifically on Phillips Exeter Academy's reputation for a PUBLIC-school decision should also weigh this record's disclosed distinction between the Academy (private) and Exeter's own public schools directly.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.