What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pownal has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

Dedham has the most affordable homes ($356k 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	Pownal	Dedham
People
Population	1,696Highest	1,656Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Highest ME: +2.6%	-2%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.2±8.4Highest 5% above ME	46.5±2.2Lowest 4% above ME
	Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±4.7Highest ME: 18.1%	23.8%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±2.6Highest ME: 22.4%	18.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49%Lowest ME: 36.2%	49.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	3.3%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	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	$104,333±$14kLowest 40% above ME	$111,442±$18kHighest 49% above ME
	Dedham and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,800±$32kHighest 47% above ME	$356,400±$33kLowest 20% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$981±$636Lowest 14% below ME	$1,422±$607Highest 25% above ME
	Dedham and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,212Highest 72% above ME	$3,942Lowest 30% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	78.9%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4%	13%±85.3Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Pownal and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 6 yrs older than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 22% above ME	30 minHighest 22% above ME
Work from home	23.9%±5.4Highest ME: 15.9%	9.3%±4.3Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	RSU 05	Dedham Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.