Compare towns
Palmer Town vs Woonsocket vs Ware vs Athol
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Palmer Town has the highest household income ($78k).
Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).
Ware has the most people working from home (12.3%).
Athol has the shortest commute (27 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 | Palmer Town | Woonsocket | Ware | Athol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 12,381 |
43,521Highest |
10,048Lowest |
12,011 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S. |
35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S. |
43.1±4.7 11% above U.S. |
41.3±1.9 6% above U.S. |
| Palmer Town and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22% |
19.1%±3.5 U.S.: 22% |
21.8%±3.2 U.S.: 22% |
| Woonsocket and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.6%±3.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.3%±2.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Palmer Town and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 23.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
24%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
20.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.6%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Woonsocket and Ware 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 about the U.S. average |
$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S. |
$67,475±$15k 16% below U.S. |
$69,316±$5k 14% below U.S. |
| 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±$21k 18% below U.S. |
$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S. |
$289,700±$28k 13% below U.S. |
$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S. |
| Woonsocket and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,075±$103 24% below U.S. |
$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S. |
$1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S. |
$1,150±$182 19% below U.S. |
| Woonsocket and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,540Highest 46% above U.S. |
$3,960 27% above U.S. |
$4,237 36% above U.S. |
$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.9%±10.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.5%±17.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Ware and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
11.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
16.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 71.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S. |
1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S. |
1960 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1953 27 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 19% above U.S. |
29 min 11% above U.S. |
28 min 8% above U.S. |
27 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 7.3%±2.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.3%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.6%±3.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Ware 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 | #252 of 282 in MA | #37 of 38 in RI | #267 of 282 in MA | #256 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | Ware | Athol-Royalston |
| High school in town | Pathfinder Vocational Technical | Woonsocket High School | Ware Junior/Senior High School | Athol High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.9Lowest |
15.2Highest |
11.1 |
11.6 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.