Compare towns
Orange vs Stow vs Athol
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the most affordable homes ($246k median).
Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).
Athol has the shortest commute (26 min average).
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 | Orange | Stow | Athol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,573 |
7,165Lowest |
8,801Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.4%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+2.7% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.8±2.2 4% above MA |
44.1±4.4Highest 10% above MA |
36.8±3.3Lowest 8% below MA |
| Stow and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
22.3%±4.1 MA: 19.4% |
25.2%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Athol and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.3%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9% |
19.1%±3.5 MA: 17.9% |
15%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Orange and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.7%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
75.1%Highest MA: 47.3% |
21.9% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9% |
3.7%±1.4 MA: 7.9% |
3.9%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Athol and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $55,824±$10kLowest 46% below MA |
$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA |
$67,394±$8k 35% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,900±$18kLowest 56% below MA |
$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA |
$248,700±$15k 56% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $775±$233Lowest 56% below MA |
$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average |
$1,120±$173 36% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,136 31% below MA |
$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA |
$3,170Lowest 47% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 41%±11.9Lowest MA: 51.8% |
59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
59.2%±17.9 MA: 51.8% |
| Stow and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 22.4%Highest MA: 10% |
5.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
21% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 70% MA: 62.5% |
85.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
63.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966 2 yrs newer than MA |
1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA |
1940Lowest 24 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 min 13% above MA |
36 minHighest 23% above MA |
26 minLowest 10% below MA |
| Work from home | 6.6%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6% |
36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6% |
9.7%±3.9 MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #275 of 282 in MA | #44 of 282 in MA | #256 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Orange · Ralph C Mahar | Nashoba | — |
| High school in town | Ralph C Mahar Regional | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.0 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.