What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	17,077Highest	16,038Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.	41.1±2.9Highest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterville and Windham 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%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.5%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham 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%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	16.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Waterville Public Schools	Windham School District
High school in town	Waterville Senior High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	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.