What stands out worked out from the figures below

Holden has the most affordable homes ($289k 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	Holden	Sidney
People
Population	3,352Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	45±4.6Highest about the ME average	43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME
	Holden and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Holden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±6Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sidney and Holden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Holden and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,200±$35kHighest 23% above ME	$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME
	Holden and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$289,400±$70kLowest about the ME average	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME
	Sidney and Holden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,340±$304 18% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,221Highest 6% above ME	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	22.8%±30.9Highest ME: 48.4%	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Holden and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	13.8%±10.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sidney and Holden 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	#61 of 133 in ME	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 63/MSAD 63	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.