Compare towns
Waterville vs Mapleton vs Farmington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).
Mapleton has the highest household income ($92k).
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.
| Measure | Waterville | Mapleton | Farmington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,077Highest |
1,884Lowest |
8,157 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-2.2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
41.8±6Highest 7% below ME |
38.2±3.3 15% below ME |
| Mapleton and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±2.4 ME: 18.1% |
22.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1% |
10.6%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Age 65+ | 18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest 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% |
34.3% ME: 36.2% |
38.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 18.1%±1.5 ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9Lowest 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 |
$91,731±$25kHighest 23% above ME |
$54,276±$7k 27% below ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $184,600±$21k 38% below ME |
$191,800±$23kHighest 35% below ME |
$166,600±$18kLowest 44% below ME |
| Mapleton and Waterville 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 |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$902±$106 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 |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$1,958 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
44.2%±12.1 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% |
8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
15.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
79.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
55.1% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
1977Highest same as ME |
1975 2 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
28 minHighest 13% above ME |
27 min 9% above ME |
| Work from home | 16.6%±5.6 ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8Lowest 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 79/MSAD 01 | RSU 09 |
| High school in town | Waterville Senior High School | None in town | Mt Blue High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Lowest |
— | 14.2Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.