What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kingston has the most affordable homes ($611k 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	Kingston
People
Population	24,748Highest	14,027Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA
	Kingston 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%	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Kingston 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%	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston 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%	48.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Canton and Kingston 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	$119,876±$13kLowest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$610,600±$30kLowest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Lowest 9% above MA	$7,650Highest 28% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 16 yrs newer than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	35 minLowest 20% above MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	19.5%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Canton and Kingston 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	#81 of 282 in MA	#99 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Kingston · Silver Lake
High school in town	Canton High	Silver Lake Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.0Lowest
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.