Waterford, Maine

Town in Oxford County · population 1,570 (2020 Census)

Median home: $273,800
Household income: $66,071
Jan low / Jul high: 8° / 79°
Snow a year: 84 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 6
Median age: 54.3

Waterford is a town of 1,570 people in Oxford County, Maine. The median home is worth $273,800, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). It ranks better for cycling than 89% of Maine towns, quieter than 83% of Maine towns, hipper than 76% of Maine towns.

How Waterford ranks

Percentile among Maine towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Maine towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Waterford is worth $273,800, above the typical Maine town ($238,950). Homes cost about 4.1 times the median household income of $66,071, which is more affordable than 28% of Maine towns. Median rent is $870 a month. 88.2% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Maine towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Waterford	Typical Maine town
Median home value	$273,800	$238,950
Median rent	$870	$1,027
Median household income	$66,071	$68,967
Home value ÷ income	4.1×	3.4×
Homeownership	88.2%	82.4%
Median year built	1982	1978
Seasonal / vacation homes	35.3%	—

Who lives in Waterford

People	Waterford	Typical Maine town
Median age	54.3	46.9
Age 65 and over	27.7%	22.9%
Under 18	12.9%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.5%	28.2%
Below the poverty line	16.4%	10.7%
Veterans	7.4%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.5%	—
Work from home	18.8%	12.3%
Average commute	34.4 min	25.5 min
Homes with broadband	89.2%	90.0%

Weather in Waterford

July highs average 79.0°F and January lows 8.1°F. About 50.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 83.9 inches of snow (typical Maine town: 77.2 in). Expect about 3 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 167 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Bethel 6 Sse station (8.3 mi away); snow from Bridgton 3 Nw (9.3 mi).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Waterford since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical Maine town. The strongest, an EF1, struck on July 1, 2017 about 9.9 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 1, 2017.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 9 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on August 21, 2009.

Severe weather in Oxford County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Oxford County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Oxford County has been included in 37 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, freezing, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
January 30, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4754: Severe Storm And Flooding
September 14, 2023	Hurricane	EM-3598: Hurricane Lee
September 6, 2023	Flood	DR-4737: Severe Storm And Flooding
July 6, 2023	Flood	DR-4719: Severe Storm And Flooding
March 22, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4696: Severe Storm And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Oxford County

Oxford County had 17,009 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $50,809 a year. Unemployment was 3.2% in 2023; in Waterford itself the ACS puts it at 1.9%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Waterford

1 public school with 89 students, about 9.9 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
Waterford Memorial School	PK-2	89	9.9

Towns near Waterford

Norway, ME
5.8 mi · 5,077 people · home $215,800
Harrison, ME
7.7 mi · 2,447 people · home $249,300
Norway, ME
8.1 mi · 2,696 people · home $162,000
Lovell, ME
8.1 mi · 1,104 people · home $295,000
Bridgton, ME
8.7 mi · 2,118 people · home $263,800
Greenwood, ME
10.4 mi · 774 people · home $228,700
South Paris, ME
10.4 mi · 2,183 people · home $219,700
Oxford, ME
10.6 mi · 1,294 people · home $183,400

Waterford questions

Is Waterford, Maine a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Waterford scores better for retirees than 57% of Maine towns and quieter than 83%. 27.7% of residents are 65 or older (median age 54.3).

How much does a house cost in Waterford?

The median owner-occupied home in Waterford is valued at $273,800 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $66,071, so homes cost about 4.1 times income. Median rent is $870 a month.

What is the weather like in Waterford?

July highs average 79.0°F and January lows 8.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 50.9 inches of precipitation a year and 83.9 inches of snow.

Does Waterford get tornadoes?

6 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Waterford since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF1 on July 1, 2017. The typical Maine town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Waterford's Census boundary (GEOID 2301780635). Comparisons use the median of Maine towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.