Compare towns
Dedham vs Upton vs Pownal
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has the most affordable homes ($356k median).
Upton has the highest household income ($156k).
Pownal has the most people working from home (23.9%).
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.
| Measure | Dedham | Upton | Pownal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,656Lowest |
8,189Highest |
1,696 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.5±2.2 20% above U.S. |
46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S. |
47.2±8.4Highest 21% above U.S. |
| 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%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
23.2%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
24.2%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
| 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 U.S.: 17.2% |
20.7%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
23.5%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Pownal and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
49%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.2%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| 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±$18k 38% above U.S. |
$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S. |
$104,333±$14kLowest 29% above U.S. |
| Upton and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,400±$33kLowest 7% above U.S. |
$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S. |
$436,800±$32k 31% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,422±$607Highest about the U.S. average |
$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S. |
$981±$636 31% below U.S. |
| 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 26% above U.S. |
$8,376Highest 169% above U.S. |
$5,212 67% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 13%±85.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.8%±31 U.S.: 51.1% |
78.9%±22.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Pownal and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
89.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
1981 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 min 14% above U.S. |
35 minHighest 34% above U.S. |
30 minLowest 14% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 9.3%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.8%±5.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.9%±5.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Pownal and Upton 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 | — | #46 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Dedham Public Schools | Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton | RSU 05 |
| High school in town | None in town | Blackstone Valley | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.2 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.