What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westminster has the most affordable homes ($422k 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	Westminster
People
Population	24,748Highest	8,374Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%	+12.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA
	Westminster 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%	21.3%±4.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Westminster 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%	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Westminster 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%	45.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA	$106,331±$22kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA	$1,843±$268Lowest 5% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,560Highest 9% above MA	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster 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%	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1977Lowest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	27 minLowest 7% below MA
Work from home	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#81 of 282 in MA	#112 of 282 in MA
School district	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton	Ashburnham-Westminster
High school in town	Canton High	Oakmont Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	13.6Highest
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.