What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the most expensive homes ($236k median).

Johnson City has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Johnson City
People
Population	680Lowest	14,940Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±8.2Highest 26% above U.S.	40.7±3.4Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Waterville and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±8.2Highest U.S.: 22%	18.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Waterville and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	29.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	9%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnson City and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,250±$27kHighest 12% below U.S.	$56,283±$4kLowest 30% below U.S.
	Waterville and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,300±$15kHighest 29% below U.S.	$117,100±$4kLowest 65% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$93Highest 21% below U.S.	$1,031±$66Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Waterville and Johnson City are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,957Lowest 27% above U.S.	$3,982Highest 28% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±27.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.8%±10.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Johnson City and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	52.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1949Lowest 31 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.	17 minLowest 38% below U.S.
Work from home	8.5%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.7%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Johnson City and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.