What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canton has the most people working from home (24.8%).

Portland has the most affordable homes ($337k median).

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	Canton	Portland
People
Population	10,144Highest	9,434Lowest
Median age	45.3±5.2Highest 10% above CT	41.6±2Lowest about the CT average
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±4Highest CT: 20.2%	22.3%±3.7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±4.2Highest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	52.1%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.6%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,991±$20kLowest 23% above CT	$118,929±$15kHighest 24% above CT
	Portland and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,300±$24kHighest 8% above CT	$337,400±$36kLowest 8% below CT
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,403±$358Highest 6% below CT	$1,129±$62Lowest 24% below CT
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,232Highest 9% above CT	$6,461Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.9%±28.9Highest CT: 52.6%	48.1%±20.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest CT: 10%	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above CT	28 minLowest 7% above CT
Work from home	24.8%±6.1Highest CT: 16%	18.5%±4.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 149 in CT	#61 of 149 in CT
School district	Canton School District	Portland School District
High school in town	Canton High School	Portland High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	10.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.