What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Berlin has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Berlin
People
Population	8,189Lowest	20,361Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	48.7±3Highest 25% above U.S.
	Berlin and Upton 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%	19.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Berlin 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%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Berlin 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%	44.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.2%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$113,598±$11kLowest 41% above U.S.
	Upton and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$374,600±$13kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,402±$88Highest about the U.S. average
	Berlin and Upton 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.	$7,291Lowest 134% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.4%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Berlin 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 U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Berlin 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	#73 of 149 in CT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Berlin School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Berlin High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	11.5Highest
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.