What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hampton has the most expensive homes ($550k 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	Hampton
People
Population	12,011Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athol and Hampton 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.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Hampton 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%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Athol-Royalston	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Athol High	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	10.1Lowest
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.