Sidney and Wooster receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Sidney
Wooster
Opportunity
56 · Bottom 49%
vs63 · Top 35%
Growth
49 · Bottom 47%
vs49 · Bottom 48%
Climate
62 · Bottom 19%
vs63 · Bottom 27%
Physical resilience
87 · Top 14%
vs86 · Top 15%
Housing affordability
100 · Top 8%
vs98 · Top 13%
Schools
52 · Top 49%
vs47 · Bottom 43%
Access
89 · Bottom 39%
vs89 · Bottom 40%
Economic stability
54 · Bottom 38%
vs53 · Bottom 36%
Measured values
| Metric | Sidney | Wooster | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,501 | 26,971 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $60,668 | $66,898 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $34,138 | $34,774 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,713/sq mi | 1,545/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $169,900 | $214,200 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $869 | $918 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 62.0% | 65.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | 3.2% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -0.5% | -0.5% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 18.6% | 36.9% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 14.2% | 9.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 66 | 79 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 3.2 | 2.9 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 43.5% | 17.9% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 84°F | 81°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 18°F | 20°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 41.7" | 41.3" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 27 mi | 26 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 18.5 min | 18.7 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 40.7 | 40.1 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 8 | 10 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 18.41 | 17.74 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 62.1% | 56.3% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 60.1% | 58.7% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 72.0% | 50.2% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Sidney
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, tornado.
Wooster
Elevated or high exposure: tornado.
Full profiles: Sidney, OH · Wooster, OH · How this is calculated: methodology