What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

North Smithfield has the most expensive homes ($457k 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	North Smithfield
People
Population	12,011Lowest	12,708Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	45.5±3.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	North Smithfield 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 U.S.: 22%	19.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	North Smithfield 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 U.S.: 35.7%	33.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	North Smithfield 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 14% below U.S.	$108,866±$12kHighest 35% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$457,200±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,282±$531Highest 9% below U.S.
	North Smithfield 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.	$5,219Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.6%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and North Smithfield 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 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%	14.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	North Smithfield 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	#13 of 38 in RI
School district	Athol-Royalston	North Smithfield
High school in town	Athol High	North Smitfield HS
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.1Highest
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.