What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Royalton
People
Population	8,189Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Upton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton and Upton 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%	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
	Upton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,040±$391Highest 26% below U.S.
	Royalton 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.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Royalton 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%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Royalton 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	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	8.7Lowest
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.