What stands out worked out from the figures below

Granby has the highest household income ($119k).

Athol has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

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	Granby	Athol
People
Population	6,080Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.3±4.2Highest 16% above MA	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA
	Granby and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.8%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.5%±4.3Highest MA: 17.9%	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Granby and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.8%±3.6Highest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Granby and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,297±$33kHighest 15% above MA	$69,316±$5kLowest 33% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$352,600±$16kHighest 37% below MA	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,150±$182 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,572Highest 7% below MA	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	57.5%±17.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Granby and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%	16.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	72.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 20% below MA	27 minHighest 8% below MA
Work from home	7.9%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	10.6%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Athol and Granby 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	#259 of 282 in MA	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Granby	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Granby Jr Sr High School	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.6Highest
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.