Compare towns
Dedham vs Appleton vs Saco vs Pownal
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 most homeowners (95.5%).
Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Saco has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).
Pownal has the most people working from home (23.9%).
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 | Saco | Pownal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656 |
1,360Lowest |
20,819Highest |
1,696 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.2% ME: +2.6% |
+10.3%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME |
44.9±1.5Lowest about the ME average |
47.2±8.4 5% above ME |
| Appleton and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 23.8%±3.6 ME: 18.1% |
15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
16.7%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9 ME: 22.4% |
26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.5%±2.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
23.5%±2.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Appleton and Pownal 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% |
43.5% ME: 36.2% |
49% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.7%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
5.2%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Saco and Pownal 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 |
$92,241±$11k 23% above ME |
$104,333±$14k 40% above ME |
| Dedham and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$235,600±$33kLowest 21% below ME |
$413,100±$17k 39% above ME |
$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME |
| Pownal and Saco 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 |
$1,249±$385 10% above ME |
$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME |
| Dedham and Saco are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,942 30% above ME |
$3,588Lowest 18% above ME |
$4,807 58% above ME |
$5,212Highest 72% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
50.3%±14 ME: 48.4% |
78.9%±22.5 ME: 48.4% |
| Appleton and Pownal 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% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
82.6% ME: 74.3% |
72.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1982 5 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 22% above ME |
30 minHighest 23% above ME |
24 minLowest 3% below ME |
30 min 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
11.1%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
19%±3.6 ME: 15.9% |
23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Pownal and Saco 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 | — | — | #38 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Appleton Public Schools | Saco Public Schools | RSU 05 |
| High school in town | None 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.