What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton	Waterville
People
Population	2,239Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Waterville 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 U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
	Sutton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterville and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterville and Sutton 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	Kearsarge Regional School District	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Waterville Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	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.