Compare towns
Mount Desert vs Waterville vs Wayne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mount Desert has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).
Waterville has the most affordable homes ($185k median).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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 | Mount Desert | Waterville | Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,671 |
17,077Highest |
1,101Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.7% ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 54.9±8.2 23% above ME |
35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.1%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Waterville and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.1%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±4.1Lowest ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,813±$9k 24% above ME |
$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME |
$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
$362,800±$29k 22% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME |
$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME |
$983±$554 14% below ME |
| Mount Desert and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,512Highest 16% above ME |
$2,755Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,289 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.9%±31.5 ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
7.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.8% ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969 8 yrs older than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
18 min 27% below ME |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.1%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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 | — | #105 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Mount Desert Public Schools | Waterville Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None in town | Waterville Senior High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.8 |
— |
| 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.