Sidney ranks #12 in Maine for growth
Sidney is ranked on 35 lists against the 144 Maine towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 3.
The lists Sidney does best on
Each list ranks every ME town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Sidney marked.
Sidney lands in the top half on 11 of 21 lists
Each dot is Sidney’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in ME, the right end is last. Areas where Sidney does best come first.
More kids than 89% of Maine
Not better or worse, just Sidney’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
2 spots from the top 10 for growth
Lists where Sidney sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Sidney out-ranks 0 of its 4 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every ME list, and where Sidney lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Acton · 51.2%
#61
Most new homes#1 Bethel · 19.2 per 1,000
#41
L
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Lincoln · +112.0%
#79
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Sanford · 39.7 per home
#28 Health
Healthiest#1 Cape Elizabeth · 98 / 100
#110
Lowest obesity#1 Falmouth · 24%
#78
Fewest smokers#1 Cape Elizabeth · 7%
#102
Most active#1 Cape Elizabeth · 14%
#110
Fewest uninsured#1 Cape Elizabeth · 4%
#102
Lowest depression#1 Cape Elizabeth · 23%
#101
Closest to a top hospital#1 Augusta · 1.3 mi
#16 
People
Most educated#1 Cape Elizabeth · 74.1%
#69
Youngest#1 Orono · 21.8
#56
Oldest#1 Harpswell · 62.0
#90
Most residents 65+#1 Bristol · 42.8%
#102
Most kids#1 Jefferson · 28%
#17 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Millinocket · 1.4 yrs
#96
Cheapest rent#1 Waldoboro · $348/mo
#99
C
Lowest property tax#1 Corinth · $1,381/yr
#43
Rent easiest to afford#1 Biddeford · 37.2%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Houlton · 10.4 min
#71 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Milford · 54%
#117
Most trails#1 Falmouth · 2.9 mi / sq mi
#70
Most walkable#1 South Portland · 70.0 / sq mi
#83 Climate
Snowiest#1 Caribou · 118 in
#95
Least snow#1 Berwick · 39 in
#35
Mildest winters#1 Kittery · 16.2°
#96
Hottest summers#1 South Berwick · 81.7°
#90
Coolest summers#1 St. George · 74.0°
#50
Longest growing season#1 St. George · 178 days
#58
Wettest#1 Rumford · 52 in
#102 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Camden · 37.4 per resident
Most library borrowing#1 Camden · 20.5 per resident
Best libraries for kids#1 Camden · 39.3 per child
Safety
R Safest#1 Richmond · 1.3The number on the right is Sidney’s spot. All of Maine’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every ME list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.