What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Plainfield has the highest household income ($123k).

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	12,011Highest	2,522Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 6% above U.S.	38.9±6.5Lowest about the U.S. average
	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%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Athol 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%	19.8%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield 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%	46.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.3Highest 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.	$122,656±$13kHighest 52% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$442,400±$47kHighest 33% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,674±$181Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$7,904Highest 153% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.8%±23.1Lowest 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%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.1%±8.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield 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	#19 of 120 in NH
School district	Athol-Royalston	Plainfield School District
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

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.