What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wilder has grown the fastest since 2010 (+81.7%).

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	Wilder
People
Population	17,077Highest	3,087Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+81.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.	45.5±8.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	Wilder and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Waterville and Wilder 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%	27.3%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$75,143±$9kHighest 7% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.	$273,200±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,142±$451Highest 19% below U.S.
	Wilder 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.	$5,505Highest 76% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.9%±17.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterville and Wilder 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%	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	62.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minHighest 32% below U.S.	17 minLowest 37% below U.S.
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.6%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterville and Wilder 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	—
School district	Waterville Public Schools	—
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	—
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.