Compare towns
Biddeford vs Dayton vs Limerick
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Biddeford has the most renters (51.9% rent).
Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).
Limerick has the most affordable homes ($269k median).
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 | Biddeford | Dayton | Limerick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 22,498Highest |
2,313Lowest |
3,400 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.3% ME: +2.6% |
+10.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 35±2.6Lowest 22% below ME |
42.1±5.5Highest 6% below ME |
40.4±9.2 10% below ME |
| Dayton and Limerick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.6%±2.2Lowest ME: 18.1% |
20.4%±4Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±5.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Dayton and Limerick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.1%±1.7Highest ME: 22.4% |
14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
17.1%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 32.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
27.6% ME: 36.2% |
27.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 11%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.1%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
2.4%±2.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $72,333±$4kLowest 3% below ME |
$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME |
$101,172±$15k 35% above ME |
| Dayton and Limerick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $396,600±$25k 34% above ME |
$398,200±$34kHighest 34% above ME |
$269,400±$29kLowest 9% below ME |
| Dayton and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,292±$100 13% above ME |
$1,215±$867Lowest 7% above ME |
$1,758±$407Highest 54% above ME |
| Limerick and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,401Highest 45% above ME |
$3,872 28% above ME |
$2,520Lowest 17% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 37.2%±6Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
38.8%±14.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Limerick and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 15.5%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.9% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.7% ME: 74.3% |
89.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 25 yrs older than ME |
1990 13 yrs newer than ME |
1994Highest 17 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 4% below ME |
31 min 26% above ME |
38 minHighest 53% above ME |
| Work from home | 14.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
16.3%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
15.2%±6.7 ME: 15.9% |
| Dayton and Limerick 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 | #111 of 133 in ME | — | — |
| School district | Biddeford Public Schools | Dayton Public Schools | — |
| High school in town | Biddeford High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.1 |
— | — |
| 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.