What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sidney has the most expensive homes ($336k median).

Jackson has the most affordable homes ($232k 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	Jackson
People
Population	4,790Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43±5.5Highest 4% below ME	37.7±5.8Lowest 16% below ME
	Sidney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%	17.1%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%	17.5%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Sidney and Jackson 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 ME: 36.2%	41.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Sidney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,488±$10kHighest 12% above ME	$75,167±$19kLowest about the ME average
	Sidney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME	$231,500±$16kLowest 22% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME	$629±$12Lowest 45% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME	$2,651Highest 13% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.4%±17.5Highest ME: 48.4%	6.3%±60.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Sidney and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1993Lowest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	35 minHighest 41% above ME
Work from home	14.3%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.3%±6.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Jackson 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	—
High school 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.