What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the highest household income ($111k).

Sullivan has the most affordable homes ($222k 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.

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

Measure	Dedham	Sullivan
People
Population	1,656Highest	1,246Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-1.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME	47.1±15Highest 5% above ME
	Sullivan and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.8%±3.6Highest ME: 18.1%	18%±5.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dedham and Sullivan 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%	22.5%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sullivan 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%	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sullivan 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	$59,643±$14kLowest 20% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME	$222,000±$33kLowest 25% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME	$883±$114Lowest 22% below ME
	Dedham and Sullivan 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	$2,228Lowest 27% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	34.9%±23.6Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sullivan and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 22% above ME	26 minLowest 7% above ME
Work from home	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.6%±7.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sullivan and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Dedham Public Schools	RSU 24
High school in town	None in town	Sumner Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.5
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.