What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the most people working from home (20%).

Central Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.6%).

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	Dedham	Central Falls
People
Population	25,237Highest	22,701Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±1.6Highest 15% above U.S.	32.5±2.3Lowest 16% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	10.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dedham and Central Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,955±$10kHighest 60% above U.S.	$49,285±$8kLowest 39% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$661,800±$16kHighest 99% above U.S.	$352,100±$30kLowest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,042±$182Highest 45% above U.S.	$1,200±$75Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,918Highest 154% above U.S.	$3,744Lowest 20% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±10Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.7%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Central Falls and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	24.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	25.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Highest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	20%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#119 of 282 in MA	#38 of 38 in RI
School district	Dedham	Learning Community · Segue Institute for Learning
High school in town	Dedham High	Central Falls Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	14.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.