Compare towns
Dedham vs Deer Isle 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).
Deer Isle has the most people working from home (22%).
Hope has the most expensive homes ($373k median).
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 | Deer Isle | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
2,470Highest |
1,748 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+11.1%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+10.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
52.6±5.6Highest 17% above ME |
44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average |
| Deer Isle and Dedham 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% |
14.7%±3.3Lowest 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% |
24.8%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
21.1%±1.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Deer Isle and Hope 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% |
35.9%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
47.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.5%±1.4 ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Dedham and Deer Isle 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 |
$62,284±$15kLowest 17% below ME |
$86,766±$6k 16% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$308,300±$42kLowest 4% above 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±$607 25% above ME |
$1,909±$927Highest 68% above ME |
$1,219±$182Lowest 7% above ME |
| Deer Isle and Dedham 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 |
$1,890Lowest 38% below ME |
$3,842 27% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
25.4%±17.9 ME: 48.4% |
37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Hope and Deer Isle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
19.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
85.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME |
1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
20 min 17% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
22%±9.5Highest ME: 15.9% |
18.3%±10.2 ME: 15.9% |
| Deer Isle and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Deer Isle-Stonington CSD | Hope Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Deer Isle-Stonington High Sch | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.0 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.