What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Coventry has the most affordable homes ($198k median).

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	Coventry
People
Population	12,011Highest	917Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	45.2±5.2Highest 16% above U.S.
	Coventry and Athol 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%	20.2%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Coventry and Athol 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%	21.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Coventry 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±$5kHighest 14% below U.S.	$59,342±$3kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kHighest 19% below U.S.	$197,900±$55kLowest 41% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Highest 19% below U.S.	$755±$108Lowest 47% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Highest 9% above U.S.	$2,375Lowest 24% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	1.5%±27.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.8%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	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athol and Coventry 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	—
School district	Athol-Royalston	Coventry 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.