What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheldon has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Dedham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

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	Sheldon	Dedham
People
Population	2,267Lowest	25,237Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.5Lowest 5% above U.S.	44.6±1.6Highest 15% above U.S.
	Dedham and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sheldon and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,533±$25kLowest about the U.S. average	$128,955±$10kHighest 60% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,400±$61kLowest 18% below U.S.	$661,800±$16kHighest 99% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,286±$379Lowest 9% below U.S.	$2,042±$182Highest 45% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,578Lowest 15% above U.S.	$7,918Highest 154% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±27Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.4%±10Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	13%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#119 of 282 in MA
School district	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	Dedham
High school in town	None in town	Dedham High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.