What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Palmer Town has the oldest population (median age 47.8).

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	Palmer Town
People
Population	12,011Lowest	12,381Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA
	Palmer Town 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%	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Palmer Town 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%	23.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Athol and Palmer Town 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	$78,480±$8kHighest 25% below MA
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$271,400±$21kHighest 52% below MA
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Highest 35% below MA	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA
	Athol and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$4,540Highest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest MA: 51.8%	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Athol and Palmer Town 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%	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Athol and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Athol High	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.