Compare towns
Dedham vs Freeport 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 affordable homes ($356k median).
Freeport has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.9%).
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 | Freeport | Pownal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
8,802Highest |
1,696 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+10.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.2% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME |
48.8±4.3Highest 9% above ME |
47.2±8.4 5% above ME |
| Freeport 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% |
19.4%±3.5Lowest 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%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4% |
26.7%±4.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
23.5%±2.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Freeport 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% ME: 36.2% |
59.6%Highest ME: 36.2% |
49%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.3Highest ME: 5.8% |
4.2%±1.9 ME: 5.8% |
| Freeport 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 |
$107,326±$19k 44% above ME |
$104,333±$14kLowest 40% 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±$33kLowest 20% above ME |
$508,400±$76kHighest 71% above ME |
$436,800±$32k 47% above ME |
| Freeport and Pownal 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 |
$1,439±$123Highest 26% above ME |
$981±$636Lowest 14% 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 | $3,942Lowest 30% above ME |
$5,042 66% above ME |
$5,212Highest 72% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
62%±18.9 ME: 48.4% |
78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Pownal and Freeport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
8.5% ME: 10.7% |
5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
24 minLowest 4% below ME |
30 min 22% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
21.2%±5.8 ME: 15.9% |
23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Pownal and Freeport 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 | — | #4 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 05 | RSU 05 |
| High school in town | None in town | Freeport High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.2 |
— |
| 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.