What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

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	Brookline
People
Population	12,011Highest	5,736Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 6% above U.S.	41.2±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Athol and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brookline and Athol 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%	11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookline 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.	$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Brookline 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%	0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Athol-Royalston	Brookline School District
High school in town	Athol High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6	—
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.