What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the most kids (23.2% under 18).

Columbia has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Columbia
People
Population	8,189Highest	5,300Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	51.3±10.3Highest 32% above U.S.
	Columbia 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%	13.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.9%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Columbia 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%	34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Columbia 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.	$127,000±$30kLowest 57% above U.S.
	Upton and Columbia 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.	$361,500±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$966±$304Highest 32% below U.S.
	Columbia 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.	$5,228Lowest 68% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	17.6%±16.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Columbia 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%	6.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	32 minLowest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Columbia 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	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Columbia School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	—
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.