What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Northampton
People
Population	12,011Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9 3% above MA	41.3±2.2 3% above MA
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton 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%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,316±$5kLowest 33% below MA	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 35% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$5,680Highest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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%	13.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 8% below MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Athol High	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	14.7Highest
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.