What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Underhill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

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	Underhill
People
Population	17,077Highest	3,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.	38.1±11.4Highest about the U.S. average
	Underhill 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%	27.8%±10.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterville and Underhill 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%	50.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$92,267±$54kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Underhill and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.	$446,000±$24kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72 31% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.	$6,697Highest 115% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±18.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.4%±11.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Underhill 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	#2 of 70 in VT
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401
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

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.