What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the most affordable homes ($356k median).

Pownal has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Dedham	Pownal
People
Population	1,656Lowest	1,696Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+6.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME	47.2±8.4Highest 5% above ME
	Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.8%±3.6Lowest 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%	23.5%±2.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Pownal 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%	49%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Pownal and Dedham 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	$104,333±$14kLowest 40% above ME
	Dedham and Pownal 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	$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME	$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME
	Dedham and Pownal 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	$5,212Highest 72% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Pownal and Dedham 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%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 22% above ME	30 minLowest 22% above ME
Work from home	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	Dedham Public Schools	RSU 05
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.