What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dresden has the most expensive homes ($240k median).

Sabattus has the most people working from home (21.5%).

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	Dresden	Sabattus
People
Population	1,645Lowest	5,116Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+3.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	55.1±7.9Highest 23% above ME	51.2±4.6Lowest 14% above ME
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±3.4Highest ME: 18.1%	13.8%±4.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.8%±8Highest ME: 22.4%	24.4%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.6%±3.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sabattus and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,844±$22kHighest about the ME average	$59,387±$6kLowest 21% below ME
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,100±$29kHighest 19% below ME	$180,000±$39kLowest 39% below ME
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,194±$502Highest 5% above ME	$949±$23Lowest 17% below ME
	Dresden and Sabattus are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,500Highest 18% below ME	$2,151Lowest 29% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.2%±26Lowest ME: 48.4%	38.7%±51Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sabattus and Dresden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	8.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 8 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 35% above ME	30 minLowest 21% above ME
Work from home	6.7%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	21.5%±10.1Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#129 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 02	RSU 04
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.