What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlow has the highest household income ($110k).

Sidney has the most people working from home (14.3%).

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	Marlow	Sidney
People
Population	855Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.8±11.7Highest 36% above U.S.	43±5.5Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Marlow and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sidney and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Marlow and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,455±$12kHighest 37% above U.S.	$83,488±$10kLowest 3% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,400±$49kLowest about the U.S. average	$336,200±$34kHighest about the U.S. average
	Sidney and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$160Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,340±$304Highest 5% below U.S.
	Sidney and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,826Highest 87% above U.S.	$2,474Lowest 21% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.2%±95.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	16.4%±17.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Marlow and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	Marlow 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.