What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northampton has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Northampton
People
Population	24,748Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Highest 7% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Canton and Northampton 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%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18.8%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton 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%	62.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 9% above MA	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Canton and Northampton 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	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Canton High	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	14.7Highest
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.