What stands out worked out from the figures below

Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).

Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).

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	Farmington	Waterville
People
Population	8,157Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+0.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	38.2±3.3Highest 15% below ME	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME
	Farmington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	14.4%±2.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Farmington and Waterville 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%	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8%	18.1%±1.5Lowest 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	$53,580±$4kLowest 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±$18kLowest 44% 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±$106Lowest 21% 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%±12.1Lowest 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%Lowest ME: 10.7%	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Highest ME: 74.3%	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 9% above ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9%	16.6%±5.6Lowest 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 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.