What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Upton has the highest household income ($156k).

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	Canaan	Upton
People
Population	1,175Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.2±3.2Highest 39% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.5%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12%±8.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,632±$25kLowest 11% above U.S.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$469,400±$33kLowest 41% above U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,830±$307Highest 30% above U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,331Lowest 103% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.1%±26Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	29.2%±13.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Canaan and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Canaan School District · Regional School District 01	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Housatonic Valley Regional High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	11.2Highest
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.