What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most affordable homes ($249k median).

Westminster has the most people working from home (23.1%).

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	Athol	Westminster
People
Population	8,801Highest	497Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	36.8±3.3Lowest 5% below U.S.	43.3±11.5Highest 11% above U.S.
	Westminster and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.2%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	28.4%±7.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Westminster and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.7%±11.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Westminster and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.2%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athol and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,394±$8kLowest 17% below U.S.	$81,000±$22kHighest about the U.S. average
	Westminster and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$248,700±$15kLowest 25% below U.S.	$313,600±$39kHighest 6% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,120±$173Highest 21% below U.S.	$749±$315Lowest 47% below U.S.
	Athol and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,170Lowest about the U.S. average	$4,480Highest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.2%±17.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	6.1%±43.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1940Highest 40 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.1%±15.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westminster and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#53 of 70 in VT
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.