Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Exeter grades D overall, ranked 571st of 841 in California, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns, including 27 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, 3% of its land is conserved. Exeter’s typical July afternoon high is 98°F, where California’s towns sit at 89°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Only 22 of California’s 1,064 towns score higher on hazard risk. Exeter Public Library is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Exeter beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within California), ordered by how far Exeter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,852 in 1920, 10,321 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 3 maps from 1926 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Exeter takes its name from Exeter in Devon, England, 5,270 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionExeter, settled in 1889, takes its name from Exeter, a city in Devon, England.
8 more U.S. towns are named after Exeter:Exeter Township, PABerks County · 26,069Exeter, NH16,213Exeter, RI6,540Exeter, PA5,587Exeter, WI2,209+3 more
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Exeter, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Exeter.
Exeter carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of California (mostly inland flooding), fares better on crime within California than nationally and has more 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns.
The median property tax bill is $2,418, against $5,124 across California, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
55% of households live in a home they own here. Exeter’s typical rent stands at $1,286 a month. Bidding over the asking price: 38% of homes sold locally.
| Exeter | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 64% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,286 a month | $1,898 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Two of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The largest public high school is Exeter Union High, with 909 students. Public schools: the Exeter Unified school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Hill ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 554 | – |
| Exeter Union HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 909 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CA on state tests and graduation
Exeter’s density of trails comes in at 1.0 miles per square mile. Count the trails in 4 parks and preserves and they come to 2.6 miles.
| Exeter | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 1.0 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Schroth Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
| 2. Unger Park | — | 5 |
| 3. Lincoln Park | 0.1 mi | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 32.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of California’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 276 to 186 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
In Exeter, the property offense rate is 15.7 per 1,000 residents. For Exeter, the violent crime rate is 2.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Exeter | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.7 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.9 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Lindsay weather station, 8 miles away, records that about 116 days a year reach 90°, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 97.7°, hotter than in 98% of U.S. towns; January nights average 38.7°.
The January low here is 39°F. Snow almost never falls.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Exeter, 34% have obesity. In Exeter, 26% of adults say their health is fair or poor, and 21% worry about having enough food.
| Exeter | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 72% | 79% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 22% | 19% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Exeter | CA |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.7% | 10.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.4% | 7.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 6.5% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Exeter has about as many jobs (3,797) as working residents, but only 467 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.7 minutes, against 28.7 across California.
Exeter’s average commute is 21 minutes. Just 12% of the town’s working residents have a job in town. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Exeter dropped by 798, to 3,797. The top destinations are Visalia (27%), Fresno (5%) and Porterville (4%).
| Exeter | California towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 10% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.6% | 8% |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $95,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 97% of California towns, with expected losses of about $295 per resident a year; that rating is what its B for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA hazard score for Exeter comes to 37 of 100. The town has had 3 paid flood insurance claims since 1986. 55% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 24%. Federal aid has come to Exeter households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Exeter
About 6 of every 100 Exeter residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across California.
7 notable people were born in Exeter.
City in California, United States
Exeter is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. It is situated in the San Joaquin Valley near the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The population was 10,321 at the 2020 census, down from 10,334 at the 2010 census. Exeter is located on State Highway 65, 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Highway 198 and 15 miles (24 km) east of Highway 99.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Exeter grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #571 of 841 in California. It grades C+ for health, C− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. That is 5.4 years of the area's median household income ($71,300 across the Visalia, CA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
7 notable people were born here, including Pamela Wallace and Brad Mills.
