What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Pawtucket
People
Population	24,748Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Highest 10% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Canton and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket 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 78% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 114% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 64% above U.S.	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 110% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canton and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Canton High	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	14.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.