What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($258k 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	Bristol
People
Population	8,189Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	42.7±5.7Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Upton and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.3%±6.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bristol and Upton 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%	23.2%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bristol 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%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bristol 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.	$78,438±$10kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$258,300±$63kLowest 22% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,310±$97Highest 7% below U.S.
	Bristol 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.	$4,162Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±14.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Bristol 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%	10.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Newfound Regional 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.