What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scarborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17%).

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	Scarborough
People
Population	8,189Lowest	23,215Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+17%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	48.8±2.7Highest 25% above U.S.
	Scarborough and Upton 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%	16.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scarborough 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Scarborough and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$133,558±$21kLowest 65% above U.S.
	Upton and Scarborough 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.	$551,900±$39kLowest 66% above U.S.
	Upton and Scarborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,956±$178Highest 38% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.	$5,978Lowest 92% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.9%±13.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Scarborough 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%	4.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scarborough 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	#35 of 133 in ME
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Scarborough Public Schools
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Scarborough High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	11.0Lowest
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.