What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k 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	Stafford
People
Population	8,189Lowest	11,511Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.
	Stafford 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%	21.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Stafford 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%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford 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%	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stafford 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.	$93,235±$16kLowest 15% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,086±$85Highest 23% below U.S.
	Stafford 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.	$5,131Lowest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Stafford 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%	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Stafford School District
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.8Lowest
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.