Compare towns
Upton vs Watertown vs Plainville
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Upton has the most people working from home (22.8%).
Watertown has the oldest housing (typical home built 1969).
Plainville has the most affordable homes ($254k 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.
| Measure | Upton | Watertown | Plainville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,189Lowest |
22,253Highest |
17,551 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
— | — |
| Median age | 46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S. |
46.3±2.9 19% above U.S. |
44.3±1.5Lowest 14% above U.S. |
| Upton and Watertown 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% |
17.7%±2.6 U.S.: 22% |
15.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Upton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.7%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
23.3%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Watertown 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% |
38.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
30%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.2%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Plainville and Watertown 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. |
$101,691±$7k 26% above U.S. |
$84,343±$7kLowest 4% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S. |
$333,500±$16k about the U.S. average |
$254,000±$14kLowest 24% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S. |
$1,275±$227Highest 10% below U.S. |
$1,126±$147 20% below U.S. |
| Watertown and Plainville 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. |
$6,014 93% above U.S. |
$4,798Lowest 54% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.8%±31 U.S.: 51.1% |
56.6%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40.3%±12.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Watertown 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% |
4.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
83.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 35 minHighest 34% above U.S. |
24 min 9% below U.S. |
21 minLowest 20% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.1%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.7%±2 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #46 of 282 in MA | #126 of 149 in CT | #89 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton | Watertown School District | Judicial Centers · Plainville School District |
| High school in town | Blackstone Valley | Watertown High School | Plainville High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.2 |
10.6Lowest |
11.4Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.