What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westbrook has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.6%).

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	Westbrook
People
Population	17,077Lowest	20,775Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+16.6%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME	37.4±1Highest 17% below ME
	Westbrook 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%	18.5%±2.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Westbrook and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Highest ME: 22.4%	18.1%±2.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Waterville and Westbrook 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%	41.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8%	9%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME	$85,038±$7kHighest 14% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME	$383,300±$19kHighest 29% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 14% below ME	$1,392±$74Highest 22% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 9% below ME	$4,005Highest 32% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4%	46.1%±7.4Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Waterville and Westbrook 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%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	61.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1975Highest 2 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 27% below ME	19 minHighest 24% below ME
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.8%±2.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Westbrook 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	#115 of 133 in ME
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Westbrook Public Schools
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Westbrook High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	12.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.