Compare towns
Waltham vs Danforth
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Waltham has the most people working from home (13.4%).
Danforth has the most affordable homes ($85k 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.
| Measure | Waltham | Danforth |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 346Lowest |
452Highest |
| Median age | 56.4±9.3Highest 26% above ME |
51.9±5.3Lowest 16% above ME |
| Waltham and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 15%±8.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
14.8%±6.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Waltham and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Age 65+ | 32.9%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.6%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Waltham and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
4.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 5.8% |
2.4%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Danforth and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $71,071±$14kHighest 5% below ME |
$42,264±$11kLowest 43% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $181,300±$22kHighest 39% below ME |
$85,200±$20kLowest 71% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $850±$567Highest 25% below ME |
$629±$22Lowest 45% below ME |
| Waltham and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,452 52% below ME |
— |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 15%±96.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
11.5%±71.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Waltham and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 19.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
12%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 85.2%Highest ME: 74.3% |
79.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME |
1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 41 minHighest 67% above ME |
27 minLowest 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 13.4%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9% |
3%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet |
ME 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.