What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most affordable homes ($611k 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	Kingston	Canton
People
Population	14,027Lowest	24,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA	42.6±2.3Lowest 7% above MA
	Kingston and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.9%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Canton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Canton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kLowest 15% above MA	$143,381±$9kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kLowest 9% above MA	$710,600±$27kHighest 26% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA	$2,315±$178Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Highest 28% above MA	$6,560Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.4%±9.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Canton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	5.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1980Lowest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 20% above MA	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	25.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Canton and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#99 of 282 in MA	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Lowest	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.