What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoughton has the most affordable homes ($524k 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	Stoughton
People
Population	24,748Lowest	29,225Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA	45.7±1.9Highest 14% above MA
	Stoughton 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%	18.5%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18.8%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.8%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Stoughton 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%	41.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stoughton 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 38% above MA	$104,794±$6kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$523,800±$28kLowest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$2,050±$200Lowest 16% above MA
	Canton and Stoughton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 9% above MA	$6,215Lowest 4% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.4%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stoughton 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%	8.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	33 minLowest 15% above MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	15.4%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#196 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Stoughton
High school in town	Canton High	Stoughton High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.