What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the highest household income ($156k).

Northampton has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Northampton
People
Population	8,189Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Upton and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Highest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
	Northampton and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Highest 40% above MA	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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 MA: 10%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 22% above MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Northampton and Upton 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	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.