What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sidney has the most people working from home (14.3%).

Starks has the most affordable homes ($149k 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	Starks
People
Population	4,790Highest	556Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%	-7.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	43±5.5Lowest 4% below ME	46.7±9.4Highest 4% above ME
	Starks 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%	16.4%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Sidney and Starks 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%	20.3%±2.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Starks 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%	21%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Sidney and Starks 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	$63,500±$8kLowest 15% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME	$148,500±$27kLowest 50% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,340±$304Highest 18% above ME	$1,063±$301Lowest 7% below ME
	Sidney and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,474Highest 19% below ME	$1,348Lowest 56% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	45.5%±90.3Highest ME: 48.4%
	Starks 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%	19.2%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	90%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest about the ME average	33 minHighest 33% above ME
Work from home	14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%	3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9%
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.