Compare towns
Athol vs Putnam vs Palmer Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Athol has the most people working from home (10.6%).
Putnam has the most renters (40.2% rent).
Palmer Town has the highest household income ($78k).
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.
| Measure | Athol | Putnam | Palmer Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 12,011 |
9,292Lowest |
12,381Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S. |
43.7±3 12% above U.S. |
47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S. |
| Palmer Town and Putnam 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% |
18.6%±3.6 U.S.: 22% |
15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Athol and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.3%±2.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
20%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
23.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.6%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Putnam 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. |
$70,561±$7k 13% below U.S. |
$78,480±$8kHighest about the U.S. average |
| Palmer Town and Putnam 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. |
$269,200±$11k 19% below U.S. |
$271,400±$21kHighest 18% below U.S. |
| Palmer Town and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,150±$182Highest 19% below U.S. |
$1,149±$44 19% below U.S. |
$1,075±$103Lowest 24% below U.S. |
| Athol and Putnam 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. |
$3,860 24% above U.S. |
$4,540Highest 46% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
37.7%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.9%±10.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
11.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
71.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min about the U.S. average |
25 minLowest 6% below U.S. |
31 minHighest 19% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.3%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Athol and Putnam 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 | #128 of 149 in CT | #252 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Athol-Royalston | Putnam School District | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Athol High | Putnam High School | Pathfinder Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.6Highest |
9.5Lowest |
9.9 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.