Compare towns
Oakland vs Belgrade vs Sidney
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Oakland has the most affordable homes ($236k median).
Belgrade has the most people working from home (20.4%).
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.
| Measure | Oakland | Belgrade | Sidney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,309Highest |
3,351Lowest |
4,790 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.2%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+1.9% ME: +2.6% |
+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 40.2±6.9Lowest 10% below ME |
47.3±14.6Highest 6% above ME |
43±5.5 4% below ME |
| Belgrade and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 23.8%±5.2Highest ME: 18.1% |
22.6%±6.9Lowest ME: 18.1% |
23.1%±5.6 ME: 18.1% |
| Oakland and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.2%±3.4Lowest ME: 22.4% |
23.9%±6.4Highest ME: 22.4% |
18.4%±3.6 ME: 22.4% |
| Belgrade and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24.4%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
49.1%Highest ME: 36.2% |
33.5% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±1.8 ME: 5.8% |
5.7%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
| Belgrade and Oakland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $77,813±$16kLowest 4% above ME |
$88,338±$13kHighest 18% above ME |
$83,488±$10k 12% above ME |
| Belgrade and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $236,000±$23kLowest 20% below ME |
$312,200±$44k 5% above ME |
$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME |
| Sidney and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $939±$74 18% below ME |
$857±$108Lowest 25% below ME |
$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $2,439Lowest 20% below ME |
$2,859Highest 6% below ME |
$2,474 19% below ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.7%±14.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
17.2%±35.9 ME: 48.4% |
16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4% |
| Oakland and Belgrade are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.1%Highest ME: 10.7% |
3.1%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
6.4% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 77.6%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
93.8%Highest ME: 74.3% |
89.4% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME |
1985 8 yrs newer than ME |
1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 8% above ME |
23 minLowest 7% below ME |
25 min about the ME average |
| Work from home | 8.4%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9% |
20.4%±8.6Highest ME: 15.9% |
14.3%±5.9 ME: 15.9% |
| Belgrade 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 | #23 of 133 in ME | #71 of 133 in ME | #15 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 18 | RSU 18 | RSU 18 |
| High school in town | Messalonskee High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.2 |
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| 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.