What it's like to live in Waterville
Waterville is a small city in Maine with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Waterville deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, cold, harsh winters, and heavy snowfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Clean air
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- Cold, harsh winters
- Heavy snowfall — 86" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Waterville compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Waterville
Based on Waterville's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,956
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,120 a year
- 46% of Waterville renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,920
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,460
- Homes cost 3.4× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 31% below US
$978/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $978 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $184,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $184,600 · 46% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 16% below US
3.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 72% below US
91 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2617/100k · Waterville Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 31% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 18 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 78°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 12°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 14% below US
31% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 31% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 3 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 12:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Frances Perkins National Monument (38 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Waterville's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($978/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
Other places near Waterville
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