Compare towns
Dedham vs Appleton vs Belgrade vs Readfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).
Belgrade has the shortest commute (23 min average).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
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 | Dedham | Appleton | Belgrade | Readfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656 |
1,360Lowest |
3,351Highest |
2,651 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+1.9% ME: +2.6% |
0% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
47.3±14.6 6% above ME |
48.1±7.6 7% above ME |
| Appleton and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
22.6%±6.9 ME: 18.1% |
18.7%±3.9 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
23.9%±6.4 ME: 22.4% |
22.3%±4.5 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.1% ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
5.7%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Belgrade and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME |
$88,338±$13k 18% above ME |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
| Dedham and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$312,200±$44k 5% above ME |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$1,104±$82 3% below ME |
$857±$108Lowest 25% below ME |
$1,125±$844 about the ME average |
| Dedham and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,942Highest 30% above ME |
$3,588 18% above ME |
$2,859Lowest 6% below ME |
$3,392 12% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
17.2%±35.9 ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
9.7%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
5% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
93.8% ME: 74.3% |
89.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 22% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
23 minLowest 7% below ME |
30 min 20% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
20.4%±8.6 ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and Belgrade 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 | — | — | #71 of 133 in ME | #20 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | RSU 18 | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town | Maranacook Community High Sch |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | — | 11.5 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.