Compare towns
Mount Desert vs Sidney vs Wayne
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mount Desert has the most expensive homes ($522k median).
Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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.
| Measure | Mount Desert | Sidney | Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,671 |
4,790Highest |
1,101Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.5% ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
-5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 54.9±8.2 23% above ME |
43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME |
55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.1%±4.7 ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
| Sidney and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.1%±4.9 ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.4%Highest ME: 36.2% |
33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
48.8% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.9%±4.1 ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,813±$9k 24% above ME |
$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME |
$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $522,100±$66kHighest 76% above ME |
$336,200±$34kLowest 13% above ME |
$362,800±$29k 22% above ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,341±$89Highest 18% above ME |
$1,340±$304 18% above ME |
$983±$554Lowest 14% below ME |
| Mount Desert and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,512Highest 16% above ME |
$2,474Lowest 19% below ME |
$3,289 8% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 33.9%±31.5Highest ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
25%±52.1 ME: 48.4% |
| Mount Desert and Wayne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.4% ME: 10.7% |
6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
7.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84.8%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
89.9%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 18 minLowest 27% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
30 minHighest 24% above ME |
| Work from home | 19.1%±9.8 ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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 | — | #15 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Mount Desert Public Schools | RSU 18 | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.