Athol is home to 8,801 people in Massachusetts. 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, below the 36% national rate. That trails the Massachusetts median by roughly 35%. The foreign-born share is 3%. The poverty rate is 21.0%, above the 12.5% national rate. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $248,700.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $67,394, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 62%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Athol
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$219,366 → $248,700(+13%)US over the same years: +67%
Poverty rate12.5% → 21.0%(+8.6 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts
Adults with a bachelor's degree12.1% → 21.9%(+9.8 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)11.9%(49)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)4.1%(17)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era37.9%(156)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War8.5%(35)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 412 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Athol, decade by decade
Athol population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
8,732
$61,411
$219,366
12.1%
7.5
2000
8,370
$57,619
$153,748
11.4%
12.6
2010
8,265
$61,961
$246,859
11.5%
17.8
2020
8,486
$66,056
$200,108
18.8%
30.3
2024
8,801
$67,394
$248,700
21.9%
38.2
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
