Population
Waterville
16,704
Charleston
17,212
Median Income
Waterville
$47,489
Charleston
$49,057
Home Value
Waterville
$173,700
Charleston
$133,700
Rent
Waterville
$957
Charleston
$819
Crime Rate
Waterville
1.42
Charleston
3.60
Cost of Living
Waterville
89.0
Charleston
83.8
Avg Temp
Waterville
N/A
Charleston
N/A
Unemployment
Waterville
5.4%
Charleston
5.9%
How Similar Are Waterville & Charleston?
Charleston is Waterville's #13 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Waterville
16,704
Charleston
17,212
Both cities have similar populations — Waterville at 16,704 and Charleston at 17,212.
Violent Crime
Waterville
1.42
Charleston
3.60
Charleston's violent crime is significantly higher than Waterville's — 60% difference.
Property Crime
Waterville
30.24
Charleston
17.93
Waterville has a 41% higher property crime than Charleston.
Political Leaning
Waterville
50.2%
Charleston
63.4%
Both cities lean Republican, but Charleston has a stronger Republican lean (21% difference).
Unemployment
Waterville
5.4%
Charleston
5.9%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 8% difference.
Median Income
Waterville
$47,489
Charleston
$49,057
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Waterville
$173,700
Charleston
$133,700
Waterville has a 23% higher home values than Charleston.
Education
Waterville
19.2%
Charleston
18.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Waterville
90.2%
Charleston
86.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 5% difference.
Cost of Living
Waterville
89.0
Charleston
83.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Waterville and Charleston share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Waterville
0
Charleston
Cost of Living & Affordability — Charleston leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDCharleston has a fair market rent (2br) of $965 vs $1,416 in Waterville (47% lower). Charleston has a fair market rent (1br) of $759 vs $1,090 in Waterville (44% lower). Charleston scores 89.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 103.2 in Waterville.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterville has a vacancy rate of 6.2% compared to 12.6% in Charleston. Waterville has a median home value of $173,700 vs $133,700 in Charleston (30% higher). Charleston has a single-family homes of 55.8% compared to 42.7% in Waterville.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Charleston leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterville has a work from home of 15.7% compared to 9.1% in Charleston. Charleston: 10,020 vs Waterville: 7,993 for labor force. Waterville has a unemployment rate of 5.4% compared to 5.9% in Charleston.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waterville leads
Source: FBI UCRCharleston has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.06 compared to 0.24 in Waterville. Waterville has a property crime clearance of 54.1% compared to 20.4% in Charleston. Charleston has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 11.15 compared to 28.10 in Waterville.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Waterville leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauWaterville has a high school diploma or higher of 37.1% compared to 33.7% in Charleston. Waterville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.2% compared to 18.9% in Charleston.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharleston has a population of 17,212, about 1x the size of Waterville (16,704). Charleston skews younger with a median age of 28.8 vs 34.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Waterville
Charleston
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaterville: 4.0 vs Charleston: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Charleston: 5 vs Waterville: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSCharleston has a bicycle of 1.3% compared to 0.0% in Waterville. Waterville has a work from home of 15.7% compared to 9.1% in Charleston. Charleston has a drive alone of 69.7% compared to 67.4% in Waterville.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Waterville, ME
Compare Waterville against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.