Compare towns
Dedham vs Freeport vs Ellsworth
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%).
Freeport has the most people working from home (21.2%).
Ellsworth has the most affordable homes ($242k 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 | Freeport | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
8,802Highest |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+10.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 4% above ME |
48.8±4.3Highest 9% above ME |
43±2.4Lowest 4% below ME |
| Freeport 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% |
19.4%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Freeport 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% |
26.7%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Freeport and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.5% ME: 36.2% |
59.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.3 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Ellsworth and Freeport 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 |
$107,326±$19k 44% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
| Dedham and Freeport 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 |
$508,400±$76kHighest 71% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,439±$123Highest 26% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
| Freeport and Dedham 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 |
$5,042Highest 66% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62%±18.9 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
8.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
77.6% ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
24 minLowest 4% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
21.2%±5.8Highest ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #4 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 05 | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Freeport High School | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.2Lowest |
12.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.