What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lincoln has the most affordable homes ($142k median).

Dexter has the most people working from home (12.1%).

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	Lincoln	Dexter
People
Population	2,954Lowest	3,822Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-2.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	55.3±11.8Highest 23% above ME	51±6.8Lowest 14% above ME
	Lincoln and Dexter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.3%±5.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	16.2%±4.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Dexter and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35%±9.8Highest ME: 22.4%	19.7%±4.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	16.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Dexter and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,097±$24kLowest 34% below ME	$51,845±$18kHighest 31% below ME
	Dexter and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$142,100±$42kLowest 52% below ME	$170,600±$52kHighest 42% below ME
	Dexter and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$658±$31Lowest 42% below ME	$838±$119Highest 26% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,863Lowest 39% below ME	$2,186Highest 28% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.5%±34.7Highest ME: 48.4%	65.2%±20.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Lincoln and Dexter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	66.3%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 7 yrs older than ME	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 9% above ME	23 minLowest 7% below ME
Work from home	1%±1.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.1%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#94 of 133 in ME	#113 of 133 in ME
School district	—	MSAD 46
High school in town	—	Dexter Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.3
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.