What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the highest household income ($93k).

Athol has the youngest population (median age 41.3).

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	Stafford	Athol
People
Population	11,511Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Stafford and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Athol and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,235±$16kHighest 15% above U.S.	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$268,100±$13kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Athol and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,150±$182Highest 19% below U.S.
	Athol and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Lowest 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	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	11%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Stafford School District	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Stafford High School	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.6Highest
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.