What stands out worked out from the figures below

Holbrook has the most affordable homes ($465k 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	Holbrook	Canton
People
Population	11,380Lowest	24,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3.2Highest 7% above MA	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA
	Holbrook and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±4.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.9%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Holbrook and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Holbrook and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,210±$14kLowest 11% above MA	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$465,400±$21kLowest 17% below MA	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,094±$423Lowest 38% below MA	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,105Lowest about the MA average	$6,560Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.8%±18.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest MA: 10%	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 30% above MA	36 minLowest 23% above MA
Work from home	12.1%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#234 of 282 in MA	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Holbrook	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	Holbrook Middle High School	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	13.1Lowest
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.