What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Upton has the most kids (23.2% under 18).

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	Durham	Upton
People
Population	7,208Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.5±2.8Lowest 17% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.
	Upton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Durham and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,857±$7kHighest 97% above U.S.	$155,508±$33kLowest 93% above U.S.
	Durham and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kLowest 28% above U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Highest 18% below U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Durham and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,998Lowest 156% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Durham 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	#88 of 149 in CT	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 13	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	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.