What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Orono has the shortest commute (15 min average).

Orono is a college town. 56.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Orono
People
Population	8,189Lowest	11,902Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	21.8±0.3Lowest 44% below U.S.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	6.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	56.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$61,528±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$272,600±$40kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,255±$112Highest 11% below U.S.
	Orono 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.	$4,830Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.1%±10.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Orono 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%	24.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	46.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	15 minLowest 42% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#26 of 133 in ME
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	RSU 26
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Orono High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.7Lowest
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.