What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most people working from home (25%).

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	Bristol	Sidney
People
Population	2,917Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	61±3.2Highest 36% above ME	43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.5Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	42.8%±8.1Highest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sidney and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,750±$19kHighest 35% above ME	$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME
	Bristol and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$406,400±$54kHighest 37% above ME	$336,200±$34kLowest 13% above ME
	Bristol and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,051±$106Lowest 8% below ME	$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME
	Sidney and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,668Highest 12% below ME	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.4%±19.2Highest ME: 48.4%	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Bristol and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4% ME: 10.7%	6.4% ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 9 yrs older than ME	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 28% below ME	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	25%±8.3Highest ME: 15.9%	14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Bristol and Sidney 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	#16 of 133 in ME	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	Bristol Public Schools	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.