What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

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	Winchester	Athol
People
Population	10,284Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 26% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Winchester and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Winchester and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,519±$12kLowest 18% below U.S.	$69,316±$5kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Athol and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$249,500±$17kLowest 25% below U.S.	$268,100±$13kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Athol and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$116Highest 17% below U.S.	$1,150±$182Lowest 19% below U.S.
	Winchester and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,780Highest 53% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 25 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	6.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athol and Winchester 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	#97 of 149 in CT	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	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.