What stands out worked out from the figures below

Biddeford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($185k median).

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	Biddeford	Waterville
People
Population	22,498Highest	17,077Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35±2.6Lowest 22% below ME	35.5±2.5Highest 21% below ME
	Waterville and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.2Highest ME: 18.1%	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Biddeford and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±1.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.3%±2.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Waterville and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,333±$4kHighest 3% below ME	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,600±$25kHighest 34% above ME	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$100Highest 13% above ME	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Highest 45% above ME	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±6Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Waterville and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	48.8%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 25 yrs older than ME	1959Highest 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 4% below ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	14.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Waterville and Biddeford 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	#111 of 133 in ME	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Biddeford Public Schools	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Biddeford High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.1Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.