What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).

Wells has the most expensive homes ($485k 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	Dorchester	Wells
People
Population	410Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+18% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±10.5Highest 44% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Lowest 38% above U.S.
	Dorchester and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dorchester and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wells and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$88,024±$11k 9% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 58% below U.S.	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,350±$297 4% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Highest 21% above U.S.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 52% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wells and Dorchester 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	—	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	—	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	—	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.