Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Household incomes in Upton are higher than in 96% of U.S. towns
3.2% of residents live below the poverty line, against 10.0% across Massachusetts. Upton grades A− for jobs and income and C for walkability. The average commute takes 35 minutes each way, where Massachusetts has 29 and the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Upton at work: what stands out
Upton’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Upton is Boston, 32 miles away as the crow flies. 13% of working residents (511) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Upton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 35 minutes each way, against 29 across Massachusetts. Over a year that’s about 268 hours of commuting, 46 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Upton is a place people come home to
There are 1,214 jobs based in Upton, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Upton has about 5,800 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Upton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Upton is better than 84% of U.S. towns, #125 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income holds Upton’s grade up ($155,508, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (6.5%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Upton could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Upton’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Time on the road from Upton: about 35 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Upton workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,205 commuters (the 23% who work from home are left out). Across Massachusetts: 75% drive alone, 8% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How a workday changes Upton
On a workday 3,725 residents head out to work, 266 work right here, and 948 people come in from elsewhere.
About 5,800 people are in Upton on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.30 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
13% of working residents work in Boston
Where Upton clocks in
13% of workers
6% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Inside Upton’s 1,214 jobs
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Upton, 2013 → 2023: 993 → 1,214. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Upton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Most trips from Upton start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Upton is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns, #251 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Upton near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 4,149 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.8% of Upton households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Upton’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Upton ranks: 663rd of 2,944 U.S. towns of 6,000 to 11,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | Lincoln MA | 6,925 | $175K | 2.3% | 2.2% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 45 | Norwell MA | 11,546 | $189K | 2.7% | 1.9% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 88 | Georgetown MA | 8,577 | $152K | 3.8% | 1.7% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 661 | Mount Zion Township IL | 7,018 | $103K | 3.5% | 2.5% | 11% | A− |
| 662 | Jefferson Township IN | 11,189 | $112K | 2.6% | 3.8% | 4% | A− |
| 663 | Upton MA | 8,560 | $156K | 3.2% | 6.5% | 7% | A− |
| 664 | Kennedy Township PA | 8,419 | $87K | 8.7% | 2.1% | 4% | A− |
| 665 | North Springfield VA | 7,050 | $130K | 6.4% | 5.4% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 2,944 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 14% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Upton, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Upton and its neighbors: 13% work next door
The biggest share goes to Milford (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Upton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upton | – | A− | C | 35 min | $155,508 |
| Milford | 5% | B+ | B+ | 37 min | $96,365 |
| Hopkinton | 4% | A+ | B+ | 36 min | $222,801 |
| Northbridge | under 3% | B+ | B− | 31 min | $111,319 |
| Grafton | under 3% | A | B | 33 min | $131,484 |
| Mendon | under 3% | A− | C− | 30 min | $132,256 |
| Hopedale | under 3% | A+ | B | 31 min | $115,722 |
| Westborough | 4% | A | A− | 29 min | $141,944 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Upton’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Upton: questions
What is the median household income in Upton?
$155,508 (±$33,339) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Upton?
3.2%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Upton?
35 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 23% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Upton work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (13%, 32 mi), Worcester (6%, 12 mi), Milford (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Upton walkable?
Upton is more walkable than 32% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 5.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Upton without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Upton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Upton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.