What stands out worked out from the figures below

Upton has the highest household income ($156k).

Washington has the shortest commute (26 min average).

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	Washington
People
Population	8,189Highest	3,676Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.4±4.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	49.9±5.5Highest 28% above U.S.
	Washington 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%	19%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Washington 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%	26.9%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Washington 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%	53.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Washington 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.	$101,549±$16kLowest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kLowest 73% above U.S.	$660,200±$130kHighest 98% above U.S.
	Washington and Upton 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.	$1,204±$264Highest 15% below U.S.
	Washington 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.	$4,709Lowest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%	26.1%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton and Washington 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%	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	20.1%±9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton and Washington 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.1Lowest
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.