What stands out worked out from the figures below

Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($236k 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	Saco	Waterville
People
Population	20,819Highest	680Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.9±1.5Lowest 15% above U.S.	49.1±8.2Highest 26% above U.S.
	Waterville and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.4%±8.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Waterville and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Saco and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waterville and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,241±$11kHighest 14% above U.S.	$71,250±$27kLowest 12% below U.S.
	Saco and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$413,100±$17kHighest 24% above U.S.	$236,300±$15kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,249±$385Highest 12% below U.S.	$1,110±$93Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Saco and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Highest 54% above U.S.	$3,957Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±14Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±27.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Saco and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 133 in ME	—
School district	Saco Public Schools	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.