Population

Waterville

16,704

Reading

10,490

Median Income

Waterville

$47,489

Reading

$60,167

Home Value

Waterville

$173,700

Reading

$184,200

Rent

Waterville

$957

Reading

$871

Crime Rate

Waterville

1.42

Reading

1.53

Cost of Living

Waterville

89.0

Reading

95.8

Avg Temp

Waterville

N/A

Reading

N/A

Unemployment

Waterville

5.4%

Reading

5.1%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Waterville & Reading?

Reading is Waterville's #3 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Waterville

16,704

vs

Reading

10,490

Different · 37% difference

Waterville has a 37% larger population than Reading.

Violent Crime

Waterville

1.42

vs

Reading

1.53

Match · 7% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Waterville

30.24

vs

Reading

21.32

Different · 29% difference

Waterville has a 29% higher property crime than Reading.

Political Leaning

Waterville

50.2%

vs

Reading

42.1%

Different · 16% difference
🗳️

Waterville leans Republican while Reading leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

Waterville

5.4%

vs

Reading

5.1%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.

Median Income

Waterville

$47,489

vs

Reading

$60,167

Different · 21% difference
💰

Reading has a 21% higher median income than Waterville.

Home Values

🏠

Waterville

$173,700

vs

Reading

$184,200

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.

Education

Waterville

19.2%

vs

Reading

18.1%

Match · 6% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Waterville

90.2%

vs

Reading

83.6%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 7% difference.

Cost of Living

Waterville

89.0

vs

Reading

95.8

Match · 7% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Waterville and Reading share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Waterville

vsof 8

0

Reading

Reading leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Waterville leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Waterville scores 72.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 92.0 in Reading. Waterville scores 86.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 96.0 in Reading. Waterville scores 89.0 on the healthcare index (100 = national avg) vs 96.8 in Reading.

Overall Cost Index

Waterville89.0
Reading95.8

Housing Index

Waterville103.2
Reading98.4

Food Index

Waterville86.3
Reading96.0

Transportation Index

Waterville72.6
Reading92.0

Healthcare Index

Waterville89.0
Reading96.8

Utilities Index

Waterville92.4
Reading97.3

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Waterville$39,161
Reading$42,163

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Waterville$92,562
Reading$99,659

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Waterville$1,090
Reading$1,051

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Waterville$1,416
Reading$1,353

Housing Market — Reading leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a vacancy rate of 3.9% compared to 6.2% in Waterville. Reading has a single-family homes of 67.9% compared to 42.7% in Waterville. Reading has a owner-occupied of 58.9% compared to 45.8% in Waterville.

Median Home Value

Waterville$173,700
Reading$184,200

Median Rent

Waterville$957
Reading$871

Median Property Tax

Waterville$2,679
Reading$2,457

Owner-Occupied

Waterville45.8%
Reading58.9%

Vacancy Rate

Waterville6.2%
Reading3.9%

Single-Family Homes

Waterville42.7%
Reading67.9%

Jobs & Economy — Reading leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a poverty rate of 12.9% compared to 25.4% in Waterville. Waterville: 7,993 vs Reading: 6,077 for labor force. Reading has a median household income of $60,167 vs $47,489 in Waterville (21% higher).

Median Household Income

Waterville$47,489
Reading$60,167

Per Capita Income

Waterville$29,156
Reading$35,102

Poverty Rate

Waterville25.4%
Reading12.9%

Unemployment Rate

Waterville5.4%
Reading5.1%

Labor Force

Waterville7,993
Reading6,077

Mean Commute

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Work from Home

Waterville15.7%
Reading16.3%

Private Sector

Waterville79.5%
Reading92.5%

Government Sector

Waterville38.1%
Reading46.6%

Crime & Safety — Reading leads

Source: FBI UCR

Waterville has a property crime clearance of 54.1% compared to 17.3% in Reading. Reading has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.09 compared to 0.18 in Waterville. Waterville has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.24 compared to 1.08 in Reading.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Waterville1.42
Reading1.53

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Waterville30.24
Reading21.32

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Waterville0.18
Reading0.09

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Waterville0.24
Reading0.18

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Waterville0.24
Reading1.08

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Waterville0.59
Reading2.25

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Waterville28.10
Reading17.27

Violent Crime Clearance

Waterville37.5%
Reading94.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Waterville54.1%
Reading17.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Avg Annual High

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Avg Annual Low

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Sunny Days per Year

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Annual Rainfall

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Annual Snowfall

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Avg Humidity

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Reading has a high school diploma or higher of 46.8% compared to 37.1% in Waterville. Waterville has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.2% compared to 18.1% in Reading.

Public Schools

Waterville0
Reading0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Colleges & Universities

Waterville0
Reading0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Waterville19.2%
Reading18.1%

High School Diploma or Higher

Waterville37.1%
Reading46.8%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Waterville has a population of 16,704, about 1.6x the size of Reading (10,490). Waterville skews younger with a median age of 34.5 vs 42.6.

Population

Waterville16,704
Reading10,490

Median Age

Waterville35
Reading43

Avg Household Size

Waterville2.1
Reading2.1

Married Population

Waterville26.1%
Reading40.6%

Foreign Born

Waterville4.0%
Reading4.5%

White

Waterville90.2%
Reading83.6%

Black

Waterville1.1%
Reading5.5%

Hispanic

Waterville2.6%
Reading4.9%

Asian

Waterville2.0%
Reading2.8%

Waterville

Reading

Healthcare — Waterville leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Waterville: 4.0 vs Reading: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Waterville: 4 vs Reading: 3 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Waterville5
Reading5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Waterville4.0
Reading3.0

With Emergency Services

Waterville4
Reading3

Transportation & Commute — Reading leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Reading has a public transit of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Waterville. Reading has a drive alone of 77.0% compared to 67.4% in Waterville. Reading has a work from home of 16.3% compared to 15.7% in Waterville.

Mean Commute Time

WatervilleN/A
ReadingN/A

Drive Alone

Waterville67.4%
Reading77.0%

Public Transit

Waterville0.1%
Reading0.4%

Bicycle

Waterville0.0%
Reading0.0%

Work from Home

Waterville15.7%
Reading16.3%

Airports

Waterville0
Reading0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities