What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sidney has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.4%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Sidney	Bennington
People
Population	4,790Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±5.5Highest 11% above U.S.	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Sidney and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sidney and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,488±$10kLowest 3% above U.S.	$83,875±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.
	Bennington and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,200±$34kHighest about the U.S. average	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,340±$304Highest 5% below U.S.	$1,292±$150Lowest 9% below U.S.
	Sidney and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,474Lowest 21% below U.S.	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.4%±17.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.
Work from home	14.3%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington 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 18	Contoocook Valley School District
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.