What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most expensive homes ($584k median).

Canton has the most affordable homes ($395k 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	Madison	Canton
People
Population	17,616Highest	10,144Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	45.3±5.2Lowest 10% above CT
	Madison and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.6%±4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Canton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±4.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Madison and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	57.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT	$117,991±$20kLowest 23% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$395,300±$24kLowest 8% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT	$1,403±$358Lowest 6% below CT
	Madison and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,843Highest 33% above CT	$7,232Lowest 9% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	59.9%±28.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Canton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%	5.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976 9 yrs newer than CT	1976 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above CT	29 minLowest 9% above CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	24.8%±6.1Lowest CT: 16%
	Madison and Canton 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	#7 of 149 in CT	#22 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Canton School District
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Canton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	9.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.