Athol, MA: town finances
Low debt and modest savings (7% of budget); 3 override votes since 2016; an override vote possible.
Budget grade
Better than 50% of MA towns · score 79 of 100
± Borderline: the score is within 2 points of the B/C cutoff, so a small change in the data could move the budget grade.
Ability to pay
Bottom 10% for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $32,900 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $117,821 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
4 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
Key numbers
| Measure | Athol | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $3,924 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 5.7% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 4.36% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (3 votes, 2 failed) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 7.0% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 0.82% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 0.4% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 2.93% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +9% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 12.6 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $345k (94 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +86.5% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $69,316 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 11,897 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Athol-Royalston (regional district shared with 2 towns). Shaded = worse than the median town on tax bill share or enrollment. Medians are across all 351 towns with data.
Why this budget grade
Budget grade B, solid (79/100, near the B/C line; better than 50% of MA towns): reserves averaged 7% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 0.82% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (1.55% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 0.4% of budget (median 1.3%). 95% of debt payments are voter-approved and paid outside the cap.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: Medium (4 pts): limited room under the tax cap (2.93% of max levy, +1); override votes since July 2016, latest 2026-04 (+2); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -0.6% last year; enrollment +9% over 5 yrs; regional district shared with 2 towns; tax bill 5.7% of median income (state median 6.4%).
"pts" are points toward the chance of an override vote. Max levy is the most the town can raise without a vote under Prop 2½. See how the budget grade works.
Override votes since July 2016
| Vote date | Result | Amount | Purpose (as listed by DLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2026 | Failed | $1,800,000 | Operating Budget And Regional School District Assessments |
| Apr 6, 2026 | Failed | $2,900,000 | Operating Budget And Regional School District Assessments |
| Apr 1, 2024 | Passed | $286,000 | Hiring An Additional 3 Full-Time Paramedic/Emt/Firefighters |
| Jul 31, 2023 | Failed | $895,000 | Hiring An Additional Eight Full-Time Firefighters |
Source: MA DLS Proposition 2½ override vote file, as of 25 Oct 2026. One ballot can carry several questions.
See this town in the full data table →