Compare towns
Dedham vs Readfield vs Strong
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).
Readfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (0%).
Strong has the most affordable homes ($184k 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 | Readfield | Strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656 |
2,651Highest |
1,249Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2% ME: +2.6% |
0%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME |
48.1±7.6Highest 7% above ME |
47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
| Readfield and Strong 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% |
18.7%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
19.5%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
| Dedham and Strong 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% |
22.3%±4.5Highest ME: 22.4% |
22%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
| Readfield and Strong 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% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8% |
3.3%±2Highest ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME |
$86,504±$8k 16% above ME |
$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
| Dedham and Readfield 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 |
$326,400±$20k 10% above ME |
$183,900±$29kLowest 38% below ME |
| Dedham and Readfield 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 |
$1,125±$844 about the ME average |
$920±$276Lowest 19% below ME |
| Dedham and Readfield 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 |
$3,392 12% above ME |
$1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
31.3%±100Highest ME: 48.4% |
20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
| Readfield and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9% ME: 10.7% |
5%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
89.9% ME: 74.3% |
84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1979 2 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 22% above ME |
30 minLowest 20% above ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
24.3%±14.9Highest ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Readfield and Strong 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 | — | #20 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 38 | RSU 58/MSAD 58 |
| High school in town | None in town | Maranacook Community High Sch | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.5 |
— |
| 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.