What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the most expensive homes ($577k median).

Barton has the most affordable homes ($201k 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	Barton
People
Population	8,189Highest	2,815Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	44.9±6.5Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Upton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.5%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barton and Upton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	32.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barton 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 93% above U.S.	$66,250±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$201,200±$28kLowest 40% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Highest 33% below U.S.	$793±$70Lowest 44% below U.S.
	Upton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.	$3,355Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.6%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	35 minLowest 33% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Barton 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	#46 of 282 in MA	#38 of 70 in VT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Lake Region Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.5Lowest
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.