What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($503k median).

Upton has the most people working from home (22.8%).

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	Monroe	Upton
People
Population	18,949Highest	8,189Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.5±2.2Lowest 12% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.
	Upton and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.2%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Monroe and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Monroe and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$157,250±$12kHighest 95% above U.S.	$155,508±$33kLowest 93% above U.S.
	Monroe and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$503,200±$31kLowest 51% above U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$860Highest 30% below U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Monroe and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$8,376Lowest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±46.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 29% above U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	15.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Monroe 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	#48 of 149 in CT	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Monroe School District	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Masuk High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	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.