What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Waterville	Appleton
People
Population	17,077Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$53,618±$19kHighest 28% below ME
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Waterville and Appleton 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	Waterville Public Schools	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
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.