What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlton has the most affordable homes ($428k median).

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

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	Charlton	Canton
People
Population	13,435Lowest	24,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43±4Highest 8% above MA	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA
	Charlton and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.7%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%	22.9%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Canton and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,587±$8kLowest 13% above MA	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,500±$19kLowest 24% below MA	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Lowest 22% below MA	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,617Lowest 23% below MA	$6,560Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest MA: 10%	5.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1980Lowest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 13% above MA	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	13%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#133 of 282 in MA	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	13.1Highest
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.