What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Windham	Waterville
People
Population	16,038Lowest	17,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±2.9Highest 6% above U.S.	35.5±2.5Lowest 9% below U.S.
Kids under 18	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.5Highest 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+	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.	$53,580±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.	$184,600±$21kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.	$978±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$2,755Lowest 12% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.5%±8.7Lowest 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	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.
Work from home	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.6%±5.6Lowest 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	#13 of 120 in NH	#105 of 133 in ME
School district	Windham School District	Waterville Public Schools
High school in town	Windham High School	Waterville Senior 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.