What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Shelton has the most affordable homes ($453k 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	Shelton
People
Population	8,189Lowest	41,889Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.	44.5±1.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Upton and Shelton 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%	18.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Shelton 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%	21.4%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Shelton 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%	41.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.	$108,185±$11kLowest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$452,600±$13kLowest 36% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,741±$216Highest 23% above U.S.
	Shelton 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.	$5,409Lowest 73% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.8%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Shelton 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%	6.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.5%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.	30 minLowest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#71 of 149 in CT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Shelton School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Shelton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	14.3Highest
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.