What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canton has the most people working from home (25.7%).

Dracut has the most affordable homes ($474k 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	Dracut
People
Population	24,748Lowest	32,574Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+10.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Highest 7% above MA	41.7±2Lowest 4% above MA
	Canton and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	21.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Canton and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dracut and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA	$114,036±$10kLowest 10% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$473,900±$17kLowest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,839±$130Lowest 4% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 9% above MA	$5,375Lowest 10% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±7.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dracut and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	7.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	79.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	11.4%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#201 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Dracut
High school in town	Canton High	Dracut Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.