Compare towns
Dedham vs Lisbon vs Topsham
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 highest household income ($111k).
Lisbon has the most affordable homes ($258k median).
Topsham has the shortest commute (24 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.
| Measure | Dedham | Lisbon | Topsham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
9,750Highest |
9,706 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+7.8% ME: +2.6% |
+8.8%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
38.4±2.9Lowest 14% below ME |
44.7±4 about the ME average |
| Dedham and Topsham 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% |
22.2%±4 ME: 18.1% |
19.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Lisbon 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% |
16.2%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4% |
24.4%±3.2Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Topsham 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% ME: 36.2% |
23.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
50%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
4.3%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
4.9%±1.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Topsham and Lisbon 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 |
$77,819±$9kLowest 4% above ME |
$91,028±$10k 22% above ME |
| Dedham and Topsham 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 |
$258,300±$26kLowest 13% below ME |
$360,800±$20kHighest 22% above ME |
| Topsham and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$979±$286Lowest 14% below ME |
$1,355±$642 19% above ME |
| Dedham and Topsham 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 |
$3,324Lowest 9% above ME |
$4,259Highest 40% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
43.4%±14.2Highest ME: 48.4% |
40.3%±12.9 ME: 48.4% |
| Lisbon and Topsham 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% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
74.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
78.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1973Lowest 4 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
29 min 17% above ME |
24 minLowest 4% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.1%±9.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
17.2%±4.3 ME: 15.9% |
| Lisbon and Topsham 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 | — | #60 of 133 in ME | #66 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Lisbon Public Schools | RSU 75/MSAD 75 |
| High school in town | None in town | Lisbon High School | Mt Ararat High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 15.8Highest |
12.2Lowest |
| 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.