What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).

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

Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Orono	Upton
People
Population	11,902Highest	8,189Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	21.8±0.3Lowest 44% below U.S.	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.
Kids under 18	6.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	11.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	56.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,528±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,600±$40kLowest 18% below U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,255±$112Highest 11% below U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Orono and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,830Lowest 55% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.1%±10.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Orono and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	24.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 42% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	11.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 133 in ME	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 26	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Orono High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	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.