What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canton has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Effingham has the most expensive homes ($323k 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	Effingham
People
Population	1,191Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+15.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±7.2Lowest 6% above U.S.	46.9±12.4Highest 21% above U.S.
	Effingham and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Canton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.7%±6.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Canton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.1%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Canton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,458±$35kLowest 35% below U.S.	$76,607±$14kHighest 5% below U.S.
	Effingham and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$165,000±$50kLowest 50% below U.S.	$322,700±$30kHighest 3% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$485±$18Lowest 66% below U.S.	$1,090±$121Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,277Lowest 27% below U.S.	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	88.9%±33.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	13.6%±40.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.	32 minLowest 19% above U.S.
Work from home	16.1%±6.4 U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.2 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.