What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolfeboro has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Wolfeboro
People
Population	5,253Lowest	6,571Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±4.6Lowest 29% above U.S.	57±1.8Highest 47% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Waldoboro and Wolfeboro 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%	34.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolfeboro 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.	$94,375±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Wolfeboro and Waldoboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,900±$39kLowest 17% below U.S.	$546,500±$60kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$348±$153Lowest 75% below U.S.	$1,103±$76Highest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,861Lowest 8% below U.S.	$4,531Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±15.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	12%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waldoboro and Wolfeboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	6.6%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.9%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 133 in ME	#46 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 40/MSAD 40	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	Medomak Valley High School	Kingswood Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.1Lowest
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.