What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Epping has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Epping
People
Population	12,011Highest	7,430Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	45.1±3.5Highest 16% above U.S.
	Epping 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%	18.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Epping 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%	22.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Epping 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%	37%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Epping 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.	$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S.
	Epping 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.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.8%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Epping 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%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#77 of 120 in NH
School district	Athol-Royalston	Epping School District
High school in town	Athol High	Epping 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.