What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most expensive homes ($367k median).

Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).

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	Andover	Sidney
People
Population	2,135Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46±11.6Highest 18% above U.S.	43±5.5Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Andover and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	28.1%±7.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Andover and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,514±$27kHighest 10% above U.S.	$83,488±$10kLowest 3% above U.S.
	Andover and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,500±$44kHighest 10% above U.S.	$336,200±$34kLowest about the U.S. average
	Andover and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,211±$190Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,340±$304Highest 5% below U.S.
	Sidney and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,962Highest 91% above U.S.	$2,474Lowest 21% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±8.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	16.4%±17.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	11.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sidney and Andover 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	—	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	Andover School District	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.