What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitingham has the most affordable homes ($262k median).

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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	Whitingham	Upton
People
Population	1,368Lowest	8,189Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±7.1 19% above U.S.	46.4±4.8 19% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Upton and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Upton and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,625±$11kLowest 13% below U.S.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,300±$30kLowest 21% below U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$673±$150Lowest 52% below U.S.	$948±$599Highest 33% below U.S.
	Upton and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,055Lowest 62% above U.S.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±47.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitingham and Upton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.	35 minLowest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Twin Valley Middle High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	11.2Highest
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.