What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most kids (21.8% under 18).

Deep River has the most people working from home (15.2%).

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	Deep River
People
Population	12,011Highest	4,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	46.2±5.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Deep River 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%	16.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Deep River 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%	22.1%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Deep River 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%	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deep River 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.	$90,253±$19kHighest 12% above U.S.
	Deep River and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$362,200±$26kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,221±$185Highest 14% below U.S.
	Deep River and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$6,092Highest 95% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.2%±22.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Deep River and Athol 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%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.2%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deep River 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	#70 of 149 in CT
School district	Athol-Royalston	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04
High school in town	Athol High	Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	9.3Lowest
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.