Compare towns
Waterville vs Chapman
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Waterville has the most people working from home (16.6%).
Chapman has the most homeowners (94.5%).
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 | Waterville | Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 17,077Highest |
388Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.7% ME: +2.6% |
— |
| Median age | 35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
45.7±11.4Highest about the ME average |
| Chapman and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
27.6%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.8%Highest ME: 36.2% |
22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME |
| Chapman and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $978±$72 14% below ME |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,755Highest 9% below ME |
$1,850Lowest 39% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Waterville and Chapman 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% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
23 minHighest 6% below ME |
| Work from home | 16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #105 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Waterville Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | Waterville Senior High School | — |
| 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.