What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($185k median).

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Waterville	Hope
People
Population	17,077Highest	1,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	44.6±3.1Highest about the ME average
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Hope 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%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
	Hope 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	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Waterville and Hope 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%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	20 minHighest 19% below ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hope 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	—
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Hope 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.