What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Jackson has the highest household income ($75k).

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	Jackson
People
Population	1,191Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.6%Highest ME: +2.6%	+11.3%Lowest ME: +2.6%
Median age	41.4±7.2Highest 8% below ME	37.7±5.8Lowest 16% below ME
	Canton and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4.6Highest ME: 18.1%	17.1%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Canton and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.7%±6.6Highest ME: 22.4%	17.5%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Canton and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	41.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.5Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Canton and Jackson 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 30% below ME	$75,167±$19kHighest about the ME average
	Jackson 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 44% below ME	$231,500±$16kHighest 22% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$485±$18Lowest 57% below ME	$629±$12Highest 45% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,277Lowest 25% below ME	$2,651Highest 13% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	88.9%±33.8Highest ME: 48.4%	6.3%±60.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Canton and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 42% above ME	35 minLowest 41% above ME
Work from home	16.1%±6.4Highest ME: 15.9%	15.3%±6.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Canton and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.