Compare towns
Farmington vs Danforth vs Waterville
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).
Danforth has the most affordable homes ($85k median).
Waterville has the shortest commute (18 min average).
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.
| Measure | Farmington | Danforth | Waterville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,157 |
452Lowest |
17,077Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
— | +0.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 38.2±3.3 15% below ME |
51.9±5.3Highest 16% above ME |
35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
| Kids under 18 | 10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
14.8%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Danforth and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.7%±3.8 ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Danforth and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
4.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
30.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.4%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
| Farmington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $54,276±$7kHighest 27% below ME |
$42,264±$11kLowest 43% below ME |
$53,580±$4k 28% below ME |
| Farmington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $166,600±$18k 44% below ME |
$85,200±$20kLowest 71% below ME |
$184,600±$21kHighest 38% below ME |
| Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $902±$106 21% below ME |
$629±$22Lowest 45% below ME |
$978±$72Highest 14% below ME |
| Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,958Lowest 36% below ME |
— | $2,755Highest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.2%±12.1 ME: 48.4% |
11.5%±71.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 15.4% ME: 10.7% |
12%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 55.1% ME: 74.3% |
79.4%Highest ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 2 yrs older than ME |
1981Highest 4 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 9% above ME |
27 minHighest 9% above ME |
18 minLowest 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
3%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6 ME: 15.9% |
| Farmington 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 | #64 of 133 in ME | — | #105 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 09 | — | Waterville Public Schools |
| High school in town | Mt Blue High School | — | Waterville Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.2Highest |
— | 12.8Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.