Compare towns
North Windham vs Sidney vs Winthrop
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
North Windham has the most renters (19.9% rent).
Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).
Winthrop has the most affordable homes ($295k median).
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 | North Windham | Sidney | Winthrop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,417 |
4,790Lowest |
6,191Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.5% ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+0.5%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 42±3Lowest 6% below ME |
43±5.5 4% below ME |
43.6±5.3Highest about the ME average |
| Winthrop and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.6%±4.1Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1% |
22.9%±5.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Sidney and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4% |
23.4%±5Highest ME: 22.4% |
| Winthrop and North Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 37% ME: 36.2% |
33.5%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
40%Highest ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
3.5%±2.4 ME: 5.8% |
| North Windham and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $88,522±$8kHighest 18% above ME |
$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME |
$86,470±$4k 16% above ME |
| North Windham and Winthrop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $342,800±$29kHighest 16% above ME |
$336,200±$34k 13% above ME |
$294,800±$41kLowest about the ME average |
| North Windham and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,248±$604 10% above ME |
$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME |
$892±$319Lowest 22% below ME |
| Sidney and North Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,546Highest 17% above ME |
$2,474Lowest 19% below ME |
$3,506 15% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.7%±14.3 ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
50.8%±22.4Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Winthrop and North Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
12.9%Highest ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.1%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
92.5%Highest ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 3 yrs newer than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
1977Lowest same as ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min 7% above ME |
25 minLowest about the ME average |
35 minHighest 41% above ME |
| Work from home | 20.9%±6.9 ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
23.1%±6.7Highest ME: 15.9% |
| Winthrop and North Windham 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 | #12 of 133 in ME |
| School district | — | RSU 18 | Winthrop Public Schools |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Winthrop High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 11.7 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.