What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most homeowners (72.4%).

Greenfield has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Greenfield
People
Population	12,011Lowest	17,664Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA
	Greenfield 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%	18.3%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Athol and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Greenfield 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%	39.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Greenfield 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 33% below MA	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kHighest 52% below MA	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA
	Athol and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Highest 35% below MA	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA
	Athol and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$4,769Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield 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%	15.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Highest 11 yrs older than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 8% below MA	17 minLowest 40% below MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	11.9%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Greenfield 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	#257 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Greenfield
High school in town	Athol High	Greenfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	10.9Lowest
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.