What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

East Machias has the most affordable homes ($211k 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	East Machias
People
Population	8,189Highest	1,223Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	42.8±2.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Upton and East Machias 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%	23.3%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	East Machias 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 U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and East Machias 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%	33.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	East Machias 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.	$57,589±$10kLowest 29% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$210,800±$23kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Highest 33% below U.S.	$907±$566Lowest 36% below U.S.
	Upton and East Machias 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.	$1,836Lowest 41% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.4%±40.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	East Machias 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%	15.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.1%±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	East Machias Public Schools
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.