What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Colebrook has the most affordable homes ($192k 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	Colebrook
People
Population	8,189Highest	1,988Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	53.7±4.9Highest 38% above U.S.
	Colebrook 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%	13.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colebrook 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%	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colebrook 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.	$51,159±$6kLowest 37% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$192,200±$59kLowest 42% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Highest 33% below U.S.	$750±$238Lowest 47% below U.S.
	Upton and Colebrook 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.	$4,350Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.3%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Colebrook 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%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 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%	5.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Colebrook School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	8.4Lowest
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.