What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benton has the most kids (6.7% under 18).

Upton has the most people working from home (13%).

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	Benton	Upton
People
Population	386Highest	91Lowest
Median age	62.1±1.9Lowest 60% above U.S.	70.4±0.4Highest 81% above U.S.
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%	0%±34.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Benton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	80.2%±49.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	14.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.1%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Benton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,895±$4k 16% below U.S.	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,300±$46k 13% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Highest 6% below U.S.	$731Lowest 77% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Benton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13%±12Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.