What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lee has the most people working from home (27.6%).

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	Lee	Sidney
People
Population	4,576Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.9Lowest 10% above U.S.	43±5.5Highest 11% above U.S.
	Sidney and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sidney and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lee and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$131,579±$54kHighest 63% above U.S.	$83,488±$10kLowest 3% above U.S.
	Lee and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$480,600±$61kHighest 44% above U.S.	$336,200±$34kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,340±$304 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,661Highest 210% above U.S.	$2,474Lowest 21% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.3%±53.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	16.4%±17.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lee and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Lowest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	27.6%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.3%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lee 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	#3 of 120 in NH	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	10 photos →	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.