Compare towns
Dedham vs Dover vs Readfield vs Hope
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).
Dover has the most renters (47.3% rent).
Readfield has the most people working from home (24.3%).
Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).
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 | Dover | Readfield | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
33,364Highest |
2,651 |
1,748 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+9.2% U.S.: +7.4% |
0% U.S.: +7.4% |
+10.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 20% above U.S. |
36.9±1.9Lowest 5% below U.S. |
48.1±7.6Highest 24% above U.S. |
44.6±3.1 15% above U.S. |
| Readfield 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 U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±3.9 U.S.: 22% |
23.3%±5.4 U.S.: 22% |
| Dedham and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.3%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±1.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Readfield 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
52%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
47.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.3%±2 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Dover 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 38% above U.S. |
$94,829±$7k 17% above U.S. |
$86,504±$8kLowest 7% above U.S. |
$86,766±$6k 7% above U.S. |
| Dedham and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 7% above U.S. |
$436,700±$20kHighest 31% above U.S. |
$326,400±$20kLowest about the U.S. average |
$373,400±$33k 12% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607 about the U.S. average |
$1,607±$100Highest 14% above U.S. |
$1,125±$844Lowest 20% below U.S. |
$1,219±$182 14% below U.S. |
| Dover and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,942 26% above U.S. |
$8,249Highest 164% above U.S. |
$3,392Lowest 9% above U.S. |
$3,842 23% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.6%±6.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
31.3%±100 U.S.: 51.1% |
37.8%±38.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Dover and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
52.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
89.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
92.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1979 1 yr older than U.S. |
1991Highest 11 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 14% above U.S. |
23 min 14% below U.S. |
30 min 12% above U.S. |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.6%±2.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
24.3%±14.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.3%±10.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Readfield and Dover 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 | — | #64 of 120 in NH | #20 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Dover School District | RSU 38 | Hope Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Dover Senior High School | Maranacook Community High Sch | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7Highest |
11.5Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.