What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Berwick has the most expensive homes ($429k median).

Dayton has the highest household income ($114k).

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	North Berwick	Dayton
People
Population	5,129Highest	2,313Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest ME: +2.6%	+8.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	41.6±4.7Lowest 7% below ME	42.1±5.5Highest 6% below ME
	Dayton and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±5.1Highest ME: 18.1%	20.4%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	North Berwick and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±5Highest ME: 22.4%	14.3%±3.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	North Berwick and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29%Highest ME: 36.2%	27.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.1%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Dayton and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,875±$16kLowest 36% above ME	$113,750±$24kHighest 52% above ME
	Dayton and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,500±$33kHighest 44% above ME	$398,200±$34kLowest 34% above ME
	North Berwick and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,105±$116Lowest about the ME average	$1,215±$867Highest 7% above ME
	Dayton and North Berwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,735Lowest 23% above ME	$3,872Highest 28% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.2%±28.7Highest ME: 48.4%	38%±19.6Lowest ME: 48.4%
	North Berwick and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest ME: 10.7%	3.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.7%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 27% above ME	31 minLowest 26% above ME
Work from home	15%±5.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	16.3%±3.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Dayton and North Berwick 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	#82 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 60/MSAD 60	Dayton Public Schools
High school in town	Noble High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.