What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

Ansonia has the highest household income ($86k).

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	Ansonia
People
Population	12,011Lowest	19,033Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 6% above U.S.	40.1±1.6Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Athol and Ansonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Ansonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.1%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athol and Ansonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	21.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ansonia and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.	$85,877±$10kHighest 6% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$287,200±$14kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Ansonia and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,476±$121Highest 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$5,446Highest 75% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±10Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Ansonia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1954Highest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 min about the U.S. average	27 min about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athol and Ansonia 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	#142 of 149 in CT
School district	Athol-Royalston	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Ansonia School District
High school in town	Athol High	Emmett O'Brien Technical High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.2Highest
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.