What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wayland has the most expensive homes ($978k 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	Wayland
People
Population	8,189Lowest	13,914Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±4.8Highest 16% above MA	45±1.5Lowest 13% above MA
	Upton and Wayland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Wayland and Upton 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%	18.7%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Upton and Wayland 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 MA: 47.3%	78.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.9%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wayland 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±$33kLowest 50% above MA	$224,000±$28kHighest 115% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$576,700±$41kLowest about the MA average	$978,400±$36kHighest 74% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$599Lowest 46% below MA	$1,475±$603Highest 16% below MA
	Wayland and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,376Lowest 40% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±31Highest MA: 51.8%	42.8%±16Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Upton and Wayland 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%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 22% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	22.8%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	35.1%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 282 in MA	#18 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton	Wayland
High school in town	Blackstone Valley	Wayland High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.9Lowest
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.