What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the most homeowners (86.7%).

Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).

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	Proctor	Waterville
People
Population	1,794Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±6.4Highest 9% above U.S.	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.
	Proctor and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.4%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Proctor and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,167±$12kHighest 8% below U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,900±$17kHighest 37% below U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
	Proctor and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,029±$202Highest 27% below U.S.	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
	Proctor and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,032Highest 29% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.3%±16.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterville and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterville and Proctor 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	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Proctor Junior/Senior High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	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.