What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough has the most expensive homes ($405k median).

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	Peterborough	Athol
People
Population	6,408Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athol and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kHighest 22% above U.S.	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kHighest 22% above U.S.	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Highest about the U.S. average	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.
	Peterborough and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Peterborough 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	#59 of 120 in NH	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	11.6Lowest
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.