What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waldoboro has the most affordable homes ($275k median).

Epping has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Waldoboro	Epping
People
Population	5,253Lowest	7,430Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±4.6Highest 29% above U.S.	45.1±3.5Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Waldoboro and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Epping and Waldoboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±5.1 U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±5.2 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Epping and Waldoboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,107±$8kLowest 14% below U.S.	$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,900±$39kLowest 17% below U.S.	$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$348±$153Lowest 75% below U.S.	$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,861Lowest 8% below U.S.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.8%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	6.6%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 133 in ME	#77 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 40/MSAD 40	Epping School District
High school in town	Medomak Valley High School	Epping High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.3Lowest
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.