Compare towns
Auburn vs Dedham vs Poland
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Auburn has the most renters (40.9% rent).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Poland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.9%).
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.
| Measure | Auburn | Dedham | Poland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 24,602Highest |
1,656Lowest |
5,954 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.4% ME: +2.6% |
-2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+9.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41.4±2.7Lowest 8% below ME |
46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
44.2±9.4 about the ME average |
| Dedham and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.4%±2.3Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
21.4%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.8%±2Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±2.9 ME: 22.4% |
17.8%±4.3Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Auburn and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.8% ME: 36.2% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
23.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1.1Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±2.8 ME: 5.8% |
| Auburn and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,647±$5kLowest 11% below ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$85,557±$23k 14% above ME |
| Dedham and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $282,000±$12kLowest 5% below ME |
$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME |
$283,600±$44k 4% below ME |
| Dedham and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,041±$74Lowest 9% below ME |
$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$1,198±$128 5% above ME |
| Dedham and Poland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,687 21% above ME |
$3,942Highest 30% above ME |
$2,774Lowest 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 53.4%±7.4 ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
61.6%±30.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Poland and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.8% ME: 10.7% |
9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
16.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1954Lowest 23 yrs older than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minLowest 12% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
| Work from home | 11.5%±2.7 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
21.9%±10.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Poland and Auburn 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 | #110 of 133 in ME | — | #81 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Auburn Public Schools | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 16 |
| High school in town | Edward Little High School | None in town | Poland Regional H S |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.1Highest |
— | 12.2Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
ME 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.