What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

New Gloucester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

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	New Gloucester
People
Population	17,077Highest	5,766Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+2.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	40.1±5.5Highest 10% below ME
	New Gloucester 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%	24.2%±5.8Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Highest ME: 22.4%	15.4%±4.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Waterville and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	30.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$108,797±$12kHighest 46% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME	$357,100±$29kHighest 20% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME	$1,150±$249Highest about the ME average
	New Gloucester 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	$3,417Highest 13% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%	24.7%±12Lowest ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	82.9%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	27 minHighest 9% above ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9%	14.2%±6.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Waterville and New Gloucester 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	#65 of 133 in ME
School district	Waterville Public Schools	RSU 15/MSAD 15
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.