Compare towns
Dedham vs Ludlow vs Hope
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).
Ludlow has the most affordable homes ($134k median).
Hope has the most people working from home (18.3%).
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 | Ludlow | Hope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656 |
444Lowest |
1,748Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
— | +10.5%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
46.1±5.8 about the ME average |
44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average |
| Dedham and Ludlow 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% |
22.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.3%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Hope 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% |
12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
21.1%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Hope 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% |
16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
47.4% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.7%±3.1 ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Dedham and Ludlow 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 |
$62,500±$21kLowest 16% below ME |
$86,766±$6k 16% above ME |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33k 20% above ME |
$133,900±$56kLowest 55% below ME |
$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME |
| Hope 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 |
$988±$111Lowest 13% below ME |
$1,219±$182 7% above ME |
| Dedham and Hope 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 |
$1,655Lowest 45% below ME |
$3,842 27% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
45.5%±94.3Highest ME: 48.4% |
37.8%±38.7 ME: 48.4% |
| Ludlow and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
15.3%Highest ME: 10.7% |
5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
90.4%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
92.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME |
1991 14 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
21 min 15% below ME |
20 minLowest 19% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
9.8%±8 ME: 15.9% |
18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Hope and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | — | Hope Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| 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.