What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the most people working from home (22.8%).

Belchertown has the most affordable homes ($371k 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	Belchertown
People
Population	8,189Lowest	15,393Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	43.9±1.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Upton and Belchertown 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%	19.5%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	21%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Belchertown 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 MA: 47.3%	47.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA	$108,068±$15kLowest 4% above MA
	Upton and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average	$371,300±$12kLowest 34% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,292±$230Highest 27% below MA
	Belchertown 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	$5,810Lowest 3% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.4%±21.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Belchertown and Upton 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%	8.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 22% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	14%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#168 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Belchertown
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Belchertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.