What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Kingston	Upton
People
Population	14,027Highest	8,189Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA	46.4±4.8Lowest 16% above MA
	Kingston and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	20.7%±4.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	53.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Kingston and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kLowest 15% above MA	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA
	Upton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kHighest 9% above MA	$576,700±$41kLowest about the MA average
	Kingston and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Highest 34% below MA	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA
	Kingston and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Lowest 28% above MA	$8,376Highest 40% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	3.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 20% above MA	35 minHighest 22% above MA
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Upton and Kingston 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	#99 of 282 in MA	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	11.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.