What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k 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	Keene
People
Population	8,189Lowest	22,939Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Upton and Keene 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%	44.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$78,445±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$252,500±$12kLowest 24% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.
	Keene 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.	$6,812Lowest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Keene 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%	10.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Keene 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	#81 of 120 in NH
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Keene School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Keene High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.3Highest
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.