What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.8%).

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	Scituate
People
Population	24,748Highest	19,365Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA	47.1±3.1Highest 18% above MA
	Scituate 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%	22.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Scituate 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%	22.2%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Scituate 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%	66.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Canton and Scituate 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	$136,732±$16kLowest 32% above MA
	Canton and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kLowest 26% above MA	$847,600±$25kHighest 51% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,609±$311Lowest 9% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Lowest 9% above MA	$8,807Highest 47% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.7%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Scituate and Canton 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%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minLowest 23% above MA	38 minHighest 31% above MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	28%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Scituate and Canton 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	#43 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Scituate
High school in town	Canton High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	11.3Lowest
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.