What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Gardner
People
Population	24,748Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Canton 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%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Canton 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%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner 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	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 9% above MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Gardner 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%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Gardner
High school in town	Canton High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	13.5Highest
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.