Compare towns
Waterville vs Mapleton vs Appleton vs Bangor
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%).
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Bangor has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Mapleton | Appleton | Bangor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 17,077 |
1,884 |
1,360Lowest |
31,938Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.7% ME: +2.6% |
-3.2% ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-3.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
41±1.3 8% below ME |
| Appleton and Mapleton 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% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
16.7%±1.7 ME: 18.1% |
| Mapleton and Bangor 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% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.9%±1.9 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Bangor 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% |
34.3% ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
35.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
10.4%±1.6 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$53,618±$19k 28% below ME |
$59,942±$7k 20% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
$191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME |
$219,600±$10k 26% below ME |
| Appleton and Bangor 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 |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME |
$1,055±$43 7% below ME |
| Appleton and Bangor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,755 9% below ME |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$3,588Highest 18% above ME |
$3,076 about the ME average |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.5%±8.7 ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
51.5%±6.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Bangor 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% |
8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.7% ME: 10.7% |
17.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.8% ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Highest ME: 74.3% |
47.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959 18 yrs older than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1954Lowest 23 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 18 min 27% below ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
17 minLowest 33% below ME |
| Work from home | 16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
10.1%±2.5Lowest 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 | — | — | #37 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Waterville Public Schools | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | Appleton Public Schools | Bangor Public Schools · Bangor-Region 4 |
| High school in town | Waterville Senior High School | None in town | None in town | Bangor High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Lowest |
— | — | 13.3Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.