What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most people working from home (10.6%).

Hyde Park has the highest household income ($90k).

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	Hyde Park
People
Population	12,011Highest	513Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	42.6±10.1Highest 10% above U.S.
	Hyde Park and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.6%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hyde Park and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athol and Hyde Park 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%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athol and Hyde Park 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.	$89,946±$10kHighest 11% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kHighest 19% below U.S.	$221,800±$57kLowest 33% below U.S.
	Athol and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,306±$285Highest 8% below U.S.
	Hyde Park 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.	$3,893Highest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±47.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Hyde Park 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%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1964Highest 16 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%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athol and Hyde Park 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	#59 of 70 in VT
School district	Athol-Royalston	—
High school in town	Athol High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6	—
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.