Compare towns
Dedham vs Mapleton vs Waterville
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 expensive homes ($356k median).
Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.7%).
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 | Mapleton | Waterville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
1,884 |
17,077Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2% ME: +2.6% |
-3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+0.7%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Highest 4% above ME |
41.8±6 7% below ME |
35.5±2.5Lowest 21% below ME |
| Dedham and Mapleton 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%±5.1 ME: 18.1% |
14.4%±2.4Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±3.1Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.3%±2.5Lowest ME: 22.4% |
| Dedham and Mapleton 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% |
34.3% ME: 36.2% |
30.8%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8% |
5%±2.9 ME: 5.8% |
18.1%±1.5Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$91,731±$25k 23% above ME |
$53,580±$4kLowest 28% below ME |
| Dedham and Mapleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME |
$191,800±$23k 35% below ME |
$184,600±$21kLowest 38% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME |
$610±$277Lowest 46% below ME |
$978±$72 14% below ME |
| Dedham and Waterville 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 |
$1,789Lowest 41% below ME |
$2,755 9% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
16.7%±10.5 ME: 48.4% |
50.5%±8.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
8.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
20.6%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
79.9% ME: 74.3% |
48.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 22% above ME |
28 min 13% above ME |
18 minLowest 27% below ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
10.8%±3.8 ME: 15.9% |
16.6%±5.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Waterville and Mapleton 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 | — | — | #105 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 79/MSAD 01 | Waterville Public Schools |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Waterville Senior High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.8 |
| 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.