What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Lancaster
People
Population	12,011Highest	8,606Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	43.1±4.9Highest 8% above MA
	Lancaster 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%	19.2%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Athol and Lancaster 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%	19.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Lancaster 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%	50.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Athol and Lancaster 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	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$519,100±$60kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 35% below MA	$2,338±$539Highest 33% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster 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%	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Nashoba
High school in town	Athol High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6	—
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.