What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Waterville has the oldest population (median age 35.5).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham	Waterville
People
Population	15,080Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S.	35.5±2.5Highest 9% below U.S.
Kids under 18	10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Waterville and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,056±$21kHighest 54% above U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$504,300±$41kHighest 52% above U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,429±$143Highest about the U.S. average	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±16Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Durham and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	19.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Durham and Waterville 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	#9 of 120 in NH	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Oyster River High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	51 photos →	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.