CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

43.57° N · 70.39° W · GEOID 2318965

Dunstan

Cumberland County, Maine · part of the Portland, ME metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MaineDunstan, MEDunstanDunstan

The short answer

Dunstan is home to 2,363 people. Median household income is $91,067 a year and median rent is $1,770 a month, 23.3% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $539,000, about 5.9x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,770
30% above the median place
Median household income
$91,067
13% above the median place
Median home value
$539,000
69% above the median place
Unemployment
3.1%
36% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Dunstan

  • Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 7.6% a year while household income rose -4.4%, so rent outran pay by more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 33 Maine places.
  • The median resident is 55.8 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 33 Maine places.
  • 72% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a higher share than in 94% of places its size. It is the highest of 32 Maine places.
  • Households average 1.99 people, smaller than in 94% of places its size.
  • 26% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 88% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 33 Maine places.

Many people here skip the commute entirely: 26% work from home, which keeps total commuting time lower than in 86% of places.

01

Moving to Dunstan

Cumberland County gains about 0.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in13,543
Moved out13,335
Net+208

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

York County, ME1,8792,279−400
Oxford County, ME359479−120

Within Maine, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MaineOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$86K
Leavers$77K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Cumberland County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
4.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 3.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Cumberland County report $85,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $77,200, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$70,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,770 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,522 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $539,000.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 26.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Wilton Manors, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.4%
23% below the median place
Moved from another state1
3.5%
74% above the median place
Income of households moving in6
$85,842
22% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.4%23% below
Moved from another state1County figure3.5%74% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure0.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$85,84222% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$77,17810% above
02

What it costs to live here

Renters paying 30%+ is 71.7%, 42% above the median place.

Dunstan23.3%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$70,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
23.3%
14% above the median place
Home price to income
5.9x
56% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
23%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$68,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Dunstan, $1,770 a month, and local prices for everything else (101.2 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Dunstan, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
McGregor, FL20.2% vs 23.3%$16,600Compare
Carolina Beach, NC19.2% vs 23.3%$9,500Compare
Kennebunk, ME18.5% vs 23.3%$7,700Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Dunstan.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Dunstan? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
71.7%
42% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$6,201
90% above the median place
Median home value1
$539,000
69% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,77030% above
Rent to income123.3%14% above
Property tax rate11.1%26% above
Home price to income15.9x56% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure101.91% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,35346% above
Property tax paid (median)1$6,20190% above
Median home value1$539,00069% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure4.1%27% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure67.2%30% above
Homeownership171.0%7% above
Renters paying 30%+171.7%42% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,52235% above
Vacant homes1County figure13.8%95% above
Median year built119921% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Works from home1
26.1%
110% above the median place
Income per person1
$60,898
52% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$91,06713% above
Income per person1$60,89852% above
Unemployment1County figure3.1%36% below
Average annual pay5County figure$74,20112% above
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.0%8% above
Jobs5County figure194,74629% above
Poverty rate1County figure7.3%32% below
Mean commute122 min12% below
Works from home126.1%110% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 0.0%, below the median place (median 6.4%).

No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
Median age1
55.8
43% above the median place
Household size1
2.0
20% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher97.8% +6%
Bachelor's or higher48.7% +52%
Homes with broadband94.3% +2%
All 8 people measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population12,3636646th largest
Median age155.843% above
Bachelor's or higher148.7%52% above
High school or higher197.8%6% above
Household size12.020% below
Born abroad1County figure6.7%24% below
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband194.3%2% above
05

Life in Dunstan

253 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 14 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents16.9 +66%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k16.9 +52%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails3 km +35%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.3 +52%

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars31.7 +52%
Shops46.1 +52%
Arts, recreation and fitness8.8 2.1×
Doctors' offices and clinics29.1 +44%
Child care centers6.1 2.7×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Child care centers per 10k7
6.1
165% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k7
31.7
52% above the median place
Shops per 10k7
46.1
52% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure95above (median 9)
Public school students10County figure38,224above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher10County figure11.327% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure31.752% above
Shops per 10k7County figure46.152% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure8.8115% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure29.144% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure6.1165% above
Parks per 10k816.966% above
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k816.952% above
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails82.735% above
Transit stops per sq mi80.352% above
National Register listings9County figure253above (median 13)
06

Safety, weather and risk

January average low is 11°F, 55% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Dunstan. Larger places are fetched first.

January average low11
11°F
55% below the median place
Average temperature11
46°F
17% below the median place
July average high11
80°F
8% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureDunstanAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high11County figure80°F8% below
January average low11County figure11°F55% below
Average temperature11County figure46°F17% below
Annual precipitation11County figure48.6 in11% above
Natural hazard risk12County figure77.017% below
Hurricane risk12County figure90.728% above
Tornado risk12County figure25.569% below
Wildfire risk12County figure38.936% below
Heat wave risk12County figure59.234% below
Median air quality index13County figure399% below
Good air days13County figure74.2%8% above
08

Dunstan in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 25% of the median income in 2030, up from 23% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,770/mo (2024)$2,290/mo$1,880 to $2,790/mo+4.4%
Median household income$91,067 (2024)$111,500$94,000 to $131,500+3.4%
Median home value$539,000 (2024)$766,000$556,000 to $1,056,000+6.0%

The median home would be worth 6.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Dunstan

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Wilton Manors, FL$1,871$85,392Compare
North Palm Beach, FL$2,010$90,049Compare
McGregor, FL$1,762$104,788Compare
Lighthouse Point, FL$1,880$92,135Compare
Lighthouse Point, FLMcGregor, FLNorth Palm Beach, FLWilton Manors, FLDunstan, MEDunstanWilton ManorsNorth Palm BeachMcGregorDunstanWilton ManorsNorth Palm BeachMcGregor

Common questions

Is Dunstan a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2020 and 2024 surveys, rent rose 7.6% a year while household income rose -4.4%, so rent outran pay by more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the highest of 33 Maine places. The median resident is 55.8 years old, older than in 97% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 33 Maine places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Dunstan expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 23.3% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $539,000.

What salary do you need to live in Dunstan?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $70,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Dunstan?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Wilton Manors, FL, North Palm Beach, FL, McGregor, FL and Lighthouse Point, FL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Dunstan with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Dunstan itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/dunstan-maine

Citytistics. “Dunstan, Maine.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/dunstan-maine/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.