Compare towns
Cushing vs Dedham vs Ellsworth
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cushing has the most people working from home (18.5%).
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).
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 | Cushing | Dedham | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,460Lowest |
1,656 |
8,657Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.1%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-2% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 48.8±7.7Highest 9% above ME |
46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
43±2.4Lowest 4% below ME |
| Cushing and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.5%±0.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Ellsworth and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 38.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Ellsworth and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $83,500±$19k 12% above ME |
$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
| Dedham and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $409,800±$44kHighest 38% above ME |
$356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
| Cushing and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,553±$376Highest 36% above ME |
$1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
| Cushing and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,944Highest 30% above ME |
$3,942 30% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.7%±19.6 ME: 48.4% |
13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.7%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9% ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.7% ME: 74.3% |
95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 5% below ME |
30 minHighest 22% above ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 18.5%±6.3Highest ME: 15.9% |
9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Cushing and Dedham 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 | — | — | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 13 | Dedham Public Schools | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.7 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.