What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rowley has the shortest commute (28 min average).

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	Rowley	Upton
People
Population	6,251Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	50±6.3Highest 25% above MA	46.4±4.8Lowest 16% above MA
	Rowley and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	20.7%±4.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Rowley and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	53.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Rowley and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,734±$32kLowest 28% above MA	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA
	Upton and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$667,300±$52kHighest 19% above MA	$576,700±$41kLowest about the MA average
	Rowley and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,603±$520Highest 9% below MA	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA
	Rowley and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,309Lowest 39% above MA	$8,376Highest 40% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%	52.8%±31Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Rowley and Upton 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	81.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 3% below MA	35 minHighest 22% above MA
Work from home	11.1%±4Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#214 of 282 in MA	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Triton	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	None in town	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.