What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Townsend
People
Population	12,011Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 3% above MA	40.9±3.3Lowest about the MA average
	Athol and Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Athol and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%	17.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Athol and Townsend 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%	35.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Townsend 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 33% below MA	$121,528±$23kHighest 17% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$433,200±$22kHighest 23% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 35% below MA	$1,469±$313Highest 17% below MA
	Townsend and Athol 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	$6,031Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±16.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Athol and Townsend 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%	8.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	37 minHighest 27% above MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	10.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Athol and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	North Middlesex
High school in town	Athol High	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	13.1Highest
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.