What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athol has the most kids (21.8% under 18).

Plainfield has the highest household income ($77k).

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	Plainfield
People
Population	12,011Lowest	15,141Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 6% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Athol and Plainfield 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%	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Plainfield 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%	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athol and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield 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.	$76,993±$8kHighest 5% below U.S.
	Plainfield 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 19% below U.S.	$272,100±$16kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Athol 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.	$1,204±$70Highest 15% below U.S.
	Plainfield 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.	$4,209Highest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Plainfield 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%	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athol and Plainfield 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	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Athol-Royalston	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Athol High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	10.3Lowest
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.