What stands out worked out from the figures below

China has the most affordable homes ($240k 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	China	Sidney
People
Population	4,526Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	40.9±5.9Lowest 9% below ME	43±5.5Highest 4% below ME
	Sidney and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±4.4Highest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	China and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.9%Lowest ME: 36.2%	33.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	China and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,309±$12kHighest 29% above ME	$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME
	China and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,000±$37kLowest 19% below ME	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,340±$304 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,535Highest 17% below ME	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	10.6%±25.1Lowest ME: 48.4%	16.4%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sidney and China are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6%Lowest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 21% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	12.6%±4.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sidney and China 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	#27 of 133 in ME	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 18	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.