What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hampton has the most people working from home (21.7%).

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	Hampton
People
Population	5,253Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±4.6Lowest 29% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
	Hampton and Waldoboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Waldoboro and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampton 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.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,900±$39kLowest 17% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$348±$153Lowest 75% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,861Lowest 8% below U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.6%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 133 in ME	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 40/MSAD 40	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Medomak Valley High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.