What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

Canton has the most homeowners (73.6%).

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	Boston	Canton
People
Population	666,442Highest	24,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	42.6±2.3Highest 7% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.9%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$710,600±$27kLowest 26% above MA
	Boston and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA
	Canton and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$6,560Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	13.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.