What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the most expensive homes ($577k median).

Shirley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.8%).

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	Shirley
People
Population	8,189Highest	1,146Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	44.2±14.6Lowest 11% above MA
	Upton and Shirley 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%	18.4%±8.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Upton and Shirley 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%	15.8%±3.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Shirley 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%	47.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	8%±6.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Shirley 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 50% above MA	$108,494±$62kLowest 4% above MA
	Upton and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest about the MA average	$395,800±$50kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$982±$797Highest 44% below MA
	Shirley 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	$4,398Lowest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%	44.3%±15Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%	5.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	63.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 22% above MA	32 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±17.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Upton and Shirley 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	#239 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	—
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	—
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.