What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	Peterborough	Upton
People
Population	6,408Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.
	Peterborough and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Peterborough and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Upton and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kLowest 22% above U.S.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kLowest 22% above U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Highest about the U.S. average	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Peterborough and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.	$8,376Lowest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Peterborough 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	#59 of 120 in NH	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	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.