Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 51/100
D+
Median home value$661,800
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,042/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households36%
Boston 36%
Dedham
Norfolk County25,237 residentsDedham
63
C+
Suburbgrade score
25th of 60 Boston suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
63
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Dedham yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 63 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Dedham is like to live in, by category
Bars show Dedham against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Within-state proficiency54th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio10.3
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate92%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 68/100
B−
Housing cost index100
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate1.16%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 52/100
D+
Mean commute29.3 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes51%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi8.2
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés59
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks65
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 69/100
B−
Median household income$128,955
Boston $115,863
Unemployment3.1%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations54%
Boston 54%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Dedham yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Dedham on housing & affordability
Dedham's weakest grade is D+. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Wellesley7 mi from DedhamA− 76 B Lexington14 mi from DedhamB+ 75 B Winchester14 mi from DedhamB 73 B Needham4 mi from DedhamB 73 B Lynnfield21 mi from DedhamB− 67 C+ Newton6 mi from DedhamB− 75 B Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Dedham
Is Dedham, MA a good place to live?
Dedham scores 63 out of 100, 25th of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Dedham expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $661,800, 2% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.16%. $2,042/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Dedham?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Dedham sit at the 54th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 92% graduation rate and a 10.3 student–teacher ratio. Dedham is served by Dedham. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Dedham?
The mean commute is 29.3 min, with 51% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 20% working from home. Transit density is 8.2 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Dedham?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 59 restaurants and cafés and 65 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Dedham old or new?
The median home in Dedham was built in 1956 — older than the Boston median of 1964. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 71% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.