Compare towns
Dedham vs Strong vs Wayne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2%).
Strong has the most affordable homes ($184k median).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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.
| Measure | Dedham | Strong | Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Highest |
1,249 |
1,101Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
-5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME |
47.5±8.9 6% above ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
| Wayne 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% |
19.5%±3.5 ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest 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%±4.1 ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne 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% |
26.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7 ME: 5.8% |
2.1%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Wayne 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 |
$47,557±$10kLowest 36% below ME |
$93,194±$26k 25% above ME |
| Dedham and Wayne 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 |
$183,900±$29kLowest 38% below ME |
$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME |
| Wayne 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 |
$920±$276Lowest 19% below ME |
$983±$554 14% below ME |
| Dedham and Wayne 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 |
$1,950Lowest 36% below ME |
$3,289 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4% |
20.9%±52.4 ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Wayne 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% |
13.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
7.9%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.9% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME |
1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minLowest 22% above ME |
31 minHighest 26% above ME |
30 min 24% above ME |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18.5%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None 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.