Compare towns
Readfield vs Waterville vs Manchester
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).
Manchester has the highest household income ($92k).
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 | Readfield | Waterville | Manchester |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,651 |
17,077Highest |
2,424Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | 0% ME: +2.6% |
+0.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME |
35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
46.9±4.6 5% above ME |
| Readfield and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Manchester and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Manchester and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 48.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
47.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.7%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
$92,031±$16kHighest 23% above ME |
| Manchester and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $326,400±$20kHighest 10% above ME |
$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
$299,600±$40k about the ME average |
| Readfield and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,125±$844Highest about the ME average |
$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME |
$993±$116 13% below ME |
| Readfield and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,392 12% above ME |
$2,755Lowest 9% below ME |
$3,486Highest 15% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
30.9%±18.6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5% ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
4.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
85% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 20% above ME |
18 minLowest 27% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6 ME: 15.9% |
11.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield 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 | #20 of 133 in ME | #105 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | RSU 38 | Waterville Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | Maranacook Community High Sch | Waterville Senior High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.5Lowest |
12.8Highest |
— |
| 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.