What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

Athol has the most kids (21.8% under 18).

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	Windham	Athol
People
Population	594Lowest	12,011Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.2±7.4Highest 14% above U.S.	41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Windham and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Athol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±8.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windham and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,500±$12kHighest 17% above U.S.	$69,316±$5kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.	$268,100±$13kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,150±$182 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,951Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±94Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	72.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#256 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Athol-Royalston
High school in town	—	Athol High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.6
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.