Compare towns
Biddeford vs Thorndike vs Dayton
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).
Thorndike has the most people working from home (44.7%).
Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).
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 | Thorndike | Dayton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 22,498Highest |
1,403Lowest |
2,313 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6% ME: +2.6% |
-13%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+8.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 35±2.6 22% below ME |
19.3±23.6Lowest 57% below ME |
42.1±5.5Highest 6% below ME |
| Dayton and Biddeford 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% |
49.8%±28.4Highest ME: 18.1% |
20.4%±4 ME: 18.1% |
| Thorndike and Dayton 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% |
11.7%±6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
14.3%±3.2 ME: 22.4% |
| Biddeford and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 32.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
25.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
27.6% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 11%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.1%±2.6 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $72,333±$4kLowest 3% below ME |
$78,438±$14k 5% above ME |
$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME |
| Dayton and Thorndike 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 |
$205,600±$88kLowest 31% below ME |
$398,200±$34kHighest 34% above 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±$100Highest 13% above ME |
$836±$317Lowest 27% below ME |
$1,215±$867 7% above ME |
| Biddeford and Dayton 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 |
$2,537Lowest 16% below ME |
$3,872 28% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 37.2%±6 ME: 48.4% |
36%±62.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
38%±19.6Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Dayton and Biddeford 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% |
6.5% ME: 10.7% |
3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 48.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
87.2% ME: 74.3% |
89.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1952Lowest 25 yrs older than ME |
1984 7 yrs newer than ME |
1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 4% below ME |
36 minHighest 46% above ME |
31 min 26% above ME |
| Work from home | 14.2%±2.7Lowest ME: 15.9% |
44.7%±35.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
16.3%±3.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Thorndike and Dayton 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 | RSU 03/MSAD 03 | Dayton Public Schools |
| High school in town | Biddeford High School | Mt View High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.1Highest |
11.7Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 6 photos → | None yet | 4 photos → |
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.