What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has the highest household income ($71k).

Wells River has the most renters (52.1% rent).

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	Wells River
People
Population	680Highest	340Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	49.1±8.2Highest 14% above VT	42.7±12.7Lowest about the VT average
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±8.2Highest VT: 17.9%	17.1%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Wells River and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.3Highest VT: 7%	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Waterville and Wells River 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 VT	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,300±$15kHighest 25% below VT	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$93Highest 10% below VT	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,957Lowest 21% below VT	$4,154Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±27.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	47.6%±14.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Wells River 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 VT: 10.1%	38.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 60% above VT	34 minLowest 43% above VT
Work from home	8.5%±3Highest VT: 16.9%	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waterville and Wells River 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

VT 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.