What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the oldest population (median age 47.8).

Athol has the most people working from home (10.6%).

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	Palmer Town	Athol
People
Population	12,381Highest	12,011Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.8%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Athol and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kHighest 25% below MA	$69,316±$5kLowest 33% below MA
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kHighest 52% below MA	$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA
	Palmer Town and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,150±$182Highest 35% below MA
	Athol and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Highest 24% below MA	$3,403Lowest 43% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.5%±17.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Athol and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%	16.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	72.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	27 minLowest 8% below MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	10.6%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Athol and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	11.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.