What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).

Farmington has the most people working from home (20%).

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	Farmington
People
Population	17,077Highest	8,157Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Highest ME: +2.6%	-2.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	38.2±3.3Highest 15% below ME
	Farmington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Highest ME: 18.1%	10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Waterville and Farmington 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%	20.7%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Farmington 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%	38.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	20.6%±3.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Farmington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$54,276±$7kHighest 27% below ME
	Farmington 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±$21kHighest 38% below ME	$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME
	Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Highest 14% below ME	$902±$106Lowest 21% below ME
	Waterville and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Highest 9% below ME	$1,958Lowest 36% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%	44.2%±12.1Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Waterville and Farmington 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%	15.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	55.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	27 minHighest 9% above ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	20%±7.6Highest ME: 15.9%
	Farmington and Waterville 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	#64 of 133 in ME
School district	Waterville Public Schools	RSU 09
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Mt Blue High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.