What stands out worked out from the figures below

Searsmont has the most affordable homes ($284k median).

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	Searsmont	Sidney
People
Population	1,646Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.5±9.8Highest about the ME average	43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME
	Searsmont and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±3.6Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Searsmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Searsmont and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%	33.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10%±6.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,000±$20kHighest 16% above ME	$83,488±$10kLowest 12% above ME
	Searsmont and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,000±$31kLowest 4% below ME	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME
	Sidney and Searsmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$940±$311Lowest 17% below ME	$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME
	Sidney and Searsmont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,788Highest 8% below ME	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.4%±41.3Highest ME: 48.4%	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Searsmont and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	25 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	16.3%±10.1Highest ME: 15.9%	14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Searsmont 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	—	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 71	RSU 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.