What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cumberland Center has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

Dedham has the most affordable 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	Cumberland Center	Dedham
People
Population	2,790Highest	1,656Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest ME: +2.6%	-2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	37.9±7.8Lowest 15% below ME	46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME
	Dedham and Cumberland Center are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	30.9%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%	23.8%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Cumberland Center and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.7%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.2%Highest ME: 36.2%	49.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±3.6Highest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Cumberland Center and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$170,125±$33kHighest 128% above ME	$111,442±$18kLowest 49% above ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$539,500±$74kHighest 82% above ME	$356,400±$33kLowest 20% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,422±$607 25% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,535Highest 115% above ME	$3,942Lowest 30% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	13%±85.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Dedham and Cumberland Center are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	99.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	95.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% below ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	33.6%±13.7Highest ME: 15.9%	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	Dedham Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.