What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.9%).

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	Gorham	Waterville
People
Population	18,300Highest	17,077Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.9%Highest ME: +2.6%	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	39.4±2.9Highest 12% below ME	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME
	Gorham and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	17.5%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.3%±2.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Waterville and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,312±$6kHighest 50% above ME	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$460,900±$26kHighest 55% above ME	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,680±$355Highest 47% above ME	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,825Highest 59% above ME	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.9%±8.6Lowest ME: 48.4%	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Waterville and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 10% above ME	18 minLowest 27% below ME
Work from home	19%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9%	16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Gorham 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	#24 of 133 in ME	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Gorham Public Schools	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Gorham High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	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.