Compare towns
Ellington vs Upton vs Lancaster
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Ellington has the most affordable homes ($367k median).
Upton has the highest household income ($156k).
Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).
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.
| Measure | Ellington | Upton | Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 16,455Highest |
8,189Lowest |
8,606 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 40.9±2.4Lowest 5% above U.S. |
46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S. |
43.1±4.9 11% above U.S. |
| Upton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 24%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
23.2%±4.5 U.S.: 22% |
19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Ellington and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.9%±4.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Upton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 51.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
50.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3%±1.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Ellington and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $129,913±$17kLowest 61% above U.S. |
$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S. |
$134,833±$27k 67% above U.S. |
| Upton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $366,900±$17kLowest 10% above U.S. |
$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S. |
$519,100±$60k 56% above U.S. |
| Upton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,737±$212 23% above U.S. |
$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S. |
$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S. |
| Lancaster and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $6,751Lowest 116% above U.S. |
$8,376Highest 169% above U.S. |
$7,235 132% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.5%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.8%±31 U.S.: 51.1% |
68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Lancaster and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
85.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
1981 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minLowest 18% above U.S. |
35 minHighest 34% above U.S. |
32 min 20% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 18.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.8%±5.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Lancaster 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 149 in CT | #46 of 282 in MA | #145 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Ellington School District | Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton | Nashoba |
| High school in town | Ellington High School | Blackstone Valley | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.3Lowest |
11.2Highest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.