What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.7%).

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	Dracut	Waterville
People
Population	32,574Highest	17,077Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Highest 7% above U.S.	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterville and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Highest 72% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dracut and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterville and Dracut 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	#201 of 282 in MA	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Dracut	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.