What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wakefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

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	Wakefield
People
Population	12,011Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield 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%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Athol and Wakefield 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%	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Athol and Wakefield 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%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield 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	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 35% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Athol and Wakefield 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%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#256 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Athol-Royalston	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Athol High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	10.7Lowest
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.