What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sumner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

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	Sumner
People
Population	1,656Highest	845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+5.9%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME	56.1±8.4Highest 25% above ME
	Sumner 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%	17.2%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dedham and Sumner 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%	29.7%±5.2Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dedham and Sumner 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	$57,750±$19kLowest 23% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,400±$33kHighest 20% above ME	$150,000±$73kLowest 49% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,422±$607 25% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,942Highest 30% above ME	$2,167Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sumner 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%	5.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	91.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME	1977Lowest same as ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 22% above ME	42 minHighest 72% above ME
Work from home	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.5%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sumner 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 10
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.