What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($257k 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	Pittsfield
People
Population	8,189Lowest	43,457Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-1.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	42.4±2Lowest 6% above MA
	Upton and Pittsfield 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%	17.6%±1.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Highest MA: 17.9%	19.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Pittsfield 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 MA: 47.3%	34.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 50% above MA	$70,582±$5kLowest 32% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average	$256,900±$8kLowest 54% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,134±$61Highest 36% below MA
	Pittsfield 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	$4,148Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31 MA: 51.8%	52.8%±5.7 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%	14.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 22% above MA	19 minLowest 36% below MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	10.2%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#251 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Pittsfield
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Taconic High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.