What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mars Hill has the most affordable homes ($164k 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	Mars Hill
People
Population	4,790Highest	1,398Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%	-8.9%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME	43.4±3Highest 3% below ME
	Mars Hill and Sidney 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%	22.9%±5.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Mars Hill 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%	24.5%±5.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Mars Hill and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	26%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.8%±3.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Mars Hill 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±$10kHighest 12% above ME	$65,273±$9kLowest 13% below ME
	Sidney and Mars Hill 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	$163,600±$23kLowest 45% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME	$488±$96Lowest 57% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,474Highest 19% below ME	$1,843Lowest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	30.6%±7.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Mars Hill and Sidney 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%	9.6%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	70.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1967Lowest 10 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	21 minLowest 14% below ME
Work from home	14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%	6.9%±6.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Sidney and Mars Hill 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	RSU 42/MSAD 42
High school in town	None in town	Central Aroostook Jr-Sr H S
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.0
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.