What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peterborough has the most affordable homes ($405k 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	Peterborough
People
Population	24,748Highest	6,408Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 10% above U.S.	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Canton and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	62.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,381±$9kHighest 78% above U.S.	$98,401±$8kLowest 22% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 114% above U.S.	$404,500±$31kLowest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 64% above U.S.	$1,395±$209Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Lowest 110% above U.S.	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#59 of 120 in NH
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Canton High	Conval Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.0Lowest
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.