What stands out worked out from the figures below

Somerville has the most affordable homes ($218k median).

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

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	Somerville	Sidney
People
Population	837Lowest	4,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.4%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	33.5±11.3Lowest 25% below ME	43±5.5Highest 4% below ME
	Sidney and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.8%±7Highest ME: 18.1%	23.1%±5.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Somerville and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.7%±2.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.4%±3.6Highest ME: 22.4%
	Sidney and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	33.5%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.7Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Somerville and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,250±$15kLowest 5% below ME	$83,488±$10kHighest 12% above ME
	Sidney and Somerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$218,100±$41kLowest 26% below ME	$336,200±$34kHighest 13% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,583±$265Highest 39% above ME	$1,340±$304Lowest 18% above ME
	Somerville and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,505Highest 17% below ME	$2,474Lowest 19% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±58.5Highest ME: 48.4%	16.4%±17.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Somerville and Sidney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Lowest 12 yrs newer than ME	1996Highest 19 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 9% above ME	25 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	3.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 15.9%	14.3%±5.9Highest ME: 15.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#15 of 133 in ME
School district	RSU 12	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.