Compare towns
Dedham vs Appleton vs Castle Hill vs Hope
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 the most renters (17.4% rent).
Castle Hill has the most affordable homes ($145k median).
Hope has the most people working from home (18.3%).
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 | Castle Hill | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656 |
1,360 |
281Lowest |
1,748Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
— | +10.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
49.2±7.4 10% above ME |
57.8±15.8Highest 29% above ME |
44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average |
| Castle Hill and Appleton 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%±2.7 ME: 18.1% |
14.2%±5.8Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.3%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Hope 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%±9.3 ME: 22.4% |
44.8%±6.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
21.1%±1.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.5%Highest ME: 36.2% |
34.1% ME: 36.2% |
26.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
47.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Appleton and Dedham 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 |
$54,250±$14k 27% below ME |
$86,766±$6k 16% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$235,600±$33k 21% below ME |
$145,300±$18kLowest 51% below ME |
$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME |
| Hope and Dedham 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 |
$950±$574Lowest 17% below ME |
$1,219±$182 7% above ME |
| Dedham and Hope 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 |
$1,449Lowest 52% below ME |
$3,842 27% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
75%±100 ME: 48.4% |
37.8%±38.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Castle Hill 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% |
4.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
5.3% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
94.3% ME: 74.3% |
92.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 22% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
19 minLowest 24% below ME |
20 min 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
10.3%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Hope and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | — | Hope Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| 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.