What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windsor has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Windsor
People
Population	12,011Lowest	29,468Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	43.7±1.9Highest 12% above U.S.
	Windsor 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 U.S.: 22%	19.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Windsor 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%	20%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windsor 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%	43.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor 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.	$104,725±$8kHighest 30% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.	$305,200±$11kHighest 8% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,681±$62Highest 19% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.	$5,351Highest 72% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.9%±10.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Windsor 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%	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windsor 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	#117 of 149 in CT
School district	Athol-Royalston	Capitol Region Education Council · Windsor School District
High school in town	Athol High	Windsor High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	10.2Lowest
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.