Compare towns
Dedham vs Gorham vs Gray 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%).
Gorham has the most people working from home (19%).
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 | Gorham | Gray | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
18,300Highest |
8,429 |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+11.9%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+6.5% ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
39.4±2.9Lowest 12% below ME |
43.4±4.5 3% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
| Dedham and Gray 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% |
20.9%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
19%±4 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9 ME: 22.4% |
17.5%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Ellsworth and Gray 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% |
44.3% ME: 36.2% |
44.8% ME: 36.2% |
39.3%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
13.1%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.4%±2.2 ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $111,442±$18k 49% above ME |
$112,312±$6kHighest 50% above ME |
$95,236±$8k 27% above ME |
$77,375±$18kLowest 4% above ME |
| Gorham and Dedham 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 |
$460,900±$26kHighest 55% above ME |
$363,700±$20k 23% above ME |
$242,300±$22kLowest 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607 25% above ME |
$1,680±$355Highest 47% above ME |
$1,371±$89 20% above ME |
$1,017±$195Lowest 11% below ME |
| Gorham 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 |
$4,825Highest 59% above ME |
$3,683 21% above ME |
$3,262Lowest 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
37.9%±8.6 ME: 48.4% |
56.4%±24 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
3.7% ME: 10.7% |
3.5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
81.5% ME: 74.3% |
82.4% ME: 74.3% |
66.7%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME |
1983 6 yrs newer than ME |
1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
27 min 10% above ME |
29 min 16% above ME |
25 minLowest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
19%±3.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
12.3%±3.5 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9% |
| Gorham and Gray 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 | — | #24 of 133 in ME | #10 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Gorham Public Schools | RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | Gorham High School | Gray-New Gloucester High School | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.9Highest |
12.5Lowest |
12.7 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | 5 photos → |
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.