What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bolton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.7%).

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	Bolton
People
Population	8,189Highest	5,737Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+15.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	41.2±1.7Lowest 3% above MA
	Upton and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	25%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bolton and Upton 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%	15.7%±3.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bolton 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±$33kLowest 50% above MA	$205,449±$31kHighest 98% above MA
	Bolton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kLowest about the MA average	$796,000±$49kHighest 42% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,583±$1kHighest 10% below MA
	Bolton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Lowest 40% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%	12.7%±45.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA	1988Highest 24 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 22% above MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	40.5%±6.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#28 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Nashoba
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Nashoba Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.0Highest
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.