What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most people working from home (23.2%).

Athens has the most kids (21.7% under 18).

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	Andover	Athens
People
Population	679Lowest	791Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	-6.6%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	51.8±3.9Highest 16% above ME	47.7±7.2Lowest 6% above ME
	Andover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.8%±3.2Lowest ME: 18.1%	21.7%±5Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	27.1%±6.3Highest ME: 22.4%	24.4%±2.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Andover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±2.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.5%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Athens and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,922±$9kLowest 33% below ME	$50,750±$14kHighest 32% below ME
	Athens and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$168,300±$22kHighest 43% below ME	$153,100±$33kLowest 48% below ME
	Andover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$538±$457 53% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,513Highest 50% below ME	$1,355Lowest 55% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100 ME: 48.4%	100%±75.5 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	16.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	23.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	94.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 21% above ME	29 minLowest 18% above ME
Work from home	23.2%±15.8Highest ME: 15.9%	6.1%±4.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Andover and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Andover Public Schools	Athens Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.