Compare towns
Bangor vs Dedham vs Readfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bangor has the most renters (52.8% rent).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
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 | Bangor | Dedham | Readfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 31,938Highest |
1,656Lowest |
2,651 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.9%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-2% ME: +2.6% |
0%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 41±1.3Lowest 8% below ME |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME |
| Readfield and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.9%±1.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.3%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Readfield and Bangor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 10.4%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $59,942±$7kLowest 20% below ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $219,600±$10kLowest 26% below ME |
$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,055±$43Lowest 7% below ME |
$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$1,125±$844 about the ME average |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,076Lowest about the ME average |
$3,942Highest 30% above ME |
$3,392 12% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.5%±6.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
| Bangor and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 47.2%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
89.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1954Lowest 23 yrs older than ME |
1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 33% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
30 min 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 10.1%±2.5 ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and Bangor 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 | #37 of 133 in ME | — | #20 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Bangor Public Schools · Bangor-Region 4 | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | Bangor High School | None in town | Maranacook Community High Sch |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.3Highest |
— | 11.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.