What stands out worked out from the figures below

Epping has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Epping	Waterville
People
Population	7,430Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±3.5Highest 16% above U.S.	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Epping and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Epping and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S.	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.8%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Epping and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Epping 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	#77 of 120 in NH	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Epping School District	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Epping High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	12.8Highest
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.