What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Randolph has the most expensive homes ($279k median).

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	Randolph
People
Population	17,077Highest	4,843Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.	40.4±7.4Highest 4% above U.S.
	Randolph 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 U.S.: 22%	17.3%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Randolph and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Randolph 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 U.S.: 35.7%	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	11.2%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$76,758±$6kHighest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.	$278,700±$38kHighest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,172±$173Highest 17% below U.S.
	Randolph and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.	$4,698Highest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.1%±17.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Randolph and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterville and Randolph 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	#55 of 70 in VT
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Randolph Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	9.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.