What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Granby has the highest household income ($119k).

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	Granby
People
Population	12,011Highest	6,080Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-2.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	46.3±4.2Highest 16% above MA
	Granby 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 MA: 19.4%	13.7%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.5%±4.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Granby 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 MA: 47.3%	36.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.8%±3.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Granby 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 33% below MA	$119,297±$33kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$352,600±$16kHighest 37% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182 35% below MA	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$5,572Highest 7% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	100%±100Highest MA: 51.8%
	Granby 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 MA: 10%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 8% below MA	23 minLowest 20% below MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	7.9%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Athol and Granby 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	#259 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Granby
High school in town	Athol High	Granby Jr Sr High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.