What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Pawtucket
People
Population	8,189Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Pawtucket 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%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,208±$39Highest 15% below U.S.
	Pawtucket 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.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Pawtucket 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%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	14.6Highest
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.