What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($394k median).

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	Upton	Barre
People
Population	8,189Highest	5,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	43.8±8.5Lowest 9% above MA
	Upton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%	15.8%±5.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Highest MA: 17.9%	19%±5.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	31.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±3.2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Barre and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA	$107,727±$13kLowest 4% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average	$394,300±$55kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,030±$713Highest 42% below MA
	Barre and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Highest 40% above MA	$5,163Lowest 14% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%	38.2%±27.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%	8.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 22% above MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	11.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#134 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Quabbin
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Quabbin Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.9Highest
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.