What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castle Hill has the most affordable homes ($145k median).

Dedham has the most expensive homes ($356k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Castle Hill	Dedham
People
Population	281Lowest	1,656Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME	46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME
	Castle Hill and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4%	18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	49.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%
	Dedham and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,250±$14kLowest 27% below ME	$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME	$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME	$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME
	Dedham and Castle Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,449Lowest 52% below ME	$3,942Highest 30% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Castle Hill and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 24% below ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	10.3%±9.8Highest ME: 15.9%	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Castle Hill and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Dedham Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.