What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the most people working from home (9.3%).

East Machias has the shortest commute (18 min average).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Dedham	East Machias
People
Population	1,656Highest	1,223Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-3.1%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME	42.8±2.9Lowest 4% below ME
	Dedham and East Machias 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%	23.3%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dedham and East Machias 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%	19.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	East Machias and Dedham 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%	33.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	East Machias 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	$57,589±$10kLowest 23% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME	$210,800±$23kLowest 29% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME	$907±$566Lowest 20% below ME
	Dedham and East Machias 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	$1,836Lowest 40% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	56.4%±40.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	East Machias and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	15.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1979Lowest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 22% above ME	18 minLowest 28% below ME
Work from home	9.3%±4.3Highest ME: 15.9%	4.1%±3.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Dedham and East Machias are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Dedham Public Schools	East Machias Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.