Compare towns
Ware vs Athol vs Palmer Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Ware has the most people working from home (12.3%).
Athol has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).
Palmer Town has the highest household income ($78k).
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 | Ware | Athol | Palmer Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,048Lowest |
12,011 |
12,381Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+2.5% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.1±4.7 8% above MA |
41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA |
47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA |
| Palmer Town and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.1%±3.5 MA: 19.4% |
21.8%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Athol and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.6%±3.4 MA: 17.9% |
19.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9% |
20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9% |
| 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+ | 24%Highest MA: 47.3% |
20.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
23.5% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9% |
3.6%±1.1 MA: 7.9% |
3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Ware and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,475±$15kLowest 35% below MA |
$69,316±$5k 33% below MA |
$78,480±$8kHighest 25% 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 | $289,700±$28kHighest 48% below MA |
$268,100±$13kLowest 52% below MA |
$271,400±$21k 52% below MA |
| Ware and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,043±$109Lowest 41% below MA |
$1,150±$182Highest 35% below MA |
$1,075±$103 39% 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 | $4,237 29% below MA |
$3,403Lowest 43% below MA |
$4,540Highest 24% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 64.3%±16.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
57.5%±17.2 MA: 51.8% |
52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Ware and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 11.8% MA: 10% |
16.3%Highest MA: 10% |
8.3%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.3% MA: 62.5% |
72.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960 4 yrs older than MA |
1953Lowest 11 yrs older than MA |
1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min about the MA average |
27 minLowest 8% below MA |
31 minHighest 8% above MA |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6% |
10.6%±3.3 MA: 18.6% |
7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| 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 | #267 of 282 in MA | #256 of 282 in MA | #252 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Ware | Athol-Royalston | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Ware Junior/Senior High School | Athol High | Pathfinder Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.1 |
11.6Highest |
9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.