What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Topsfield has the highest household income ($196k).

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	Topsfield
People
Population	24,748Highest	6,564Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Highest 7% above MA	42.2±1.8Lowest 6% above MA
	Canton and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.8%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Topsfield and Canton 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%	22.4%±3.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Topsfield 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Canton and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,381±$9kLowest 38% above MA	$195,718±$16kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kLowest 26% above MA	$853,400±$40kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,115±$538Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Lowest 9% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±40.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Topsfield 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%	7.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.4%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	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.4%±8.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Topsfield 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	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Topsfield
High school in town	Canton High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1	—
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.