Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Athol grades D overall, ranked 257th of 282 in Massachusetts, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its schools rank behind 81% of the state's. The median household income is $69K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, it has 38 miles of trail and 28% conserved land. 28% of the land in Athol is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 9 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns score higher on cost of living. Athol is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 87% of U.S. towns.
Where Athol beats most towns.
Pequoig Hotel
Census counts: 848 in 1790, 11,945 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1828 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Athol is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Athol, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Athol.
Athol is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Massachusetts (mostly inland flooding).
The typical Athol home is worth about $337,000, up 0.6% in a year, 49% below the Massachusetts typical home. Athol’s median rent is $1,150 a month, below the Massachusetts town median ($1,683 a month) and near the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month).
| Athol | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,150 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Athol-Royalston school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Athol High, with 417 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athol Community Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 589 | C+ |
| Athol HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 417 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
38 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The trail density in Athol is 1.2 miles per square mile. Millers River Wildlife Management Area, at 2,151 acres with 5.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bearsden Conservation Area | 15.3 mi | 1,599 |
| 2. Millers River Wildlife Management Area | 5.4 mi | 2,151 |
| 3. South Athol Conservation Area | 3.1 mi | 214 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Athol for work: only 19% work in town. 11% of Athol workers work from home. The top destinations are Gardner (7%), Orange (6%) and Worcester (5%).
| Athol | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Massachusetts towns, with expected losses of about $337 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Athol’s FEMA risk score is 72 of 100. Since 1984, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Athol.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Athol beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Athol.
| Athol | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Athol | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 16.6% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.4% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Athol has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 14° and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 23.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Athol. Close and well known come first.
15 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
21 mi MountainMount Monadnock
37 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
31 mi Stadium & arenaDCU Center
20 mi MuseumEmily Dickinson Museum
33 mi MuseumOld Sturbridge VillageQuabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Emily Dickinson Museum: Daderot, Public domain · Old Sturbridge Village: Wgmleslie at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Athol
About 4 of every 100 Athol residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
3 places in Athol on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Athol.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Athol (, ATH-awl) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,945 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Athol.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athol | #257 | D | B− | C+ | C− | C |
| Orange | #273 | D | C+ | B− | D | C− |
| Phillipston | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Royalston | — | — | B− | A+ | C− | C+ |
| Petersham | — | — | C | — | D | B+ |
| New Salem | — | — | D | — | C− | A |
Phillipston, Royalston, Petersham and New Salem have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Phillipston, Petersham and New Salem report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Athol with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Athol grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #257 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades C for health, C+ for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Athol sits nearer the middle.
That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($95,939 across the Worcester, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
17 notable people were born here, including Lysander Spooner and Charles Starrett.
