What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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	Jaffrey	Upton
People
Population	5,448Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.
	Upton and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Jaffrey and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,330±$18kLowest 14% above U.S.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$962±$202Highest 32% below U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Jaffrey and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,196Lowest 99% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#87 of 120 in NH	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Conant Middle High School (H)	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	21.3Highest	11.2Lowest
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.