What stands out worked out from the figures below

Portland has the most affordable homes ($337k median).

Canton has the most people working from home (24.8%).

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	Portland	Canton
People
Population	9,434Lowest	10,144Highest
Median age	41.6±2Lowest about the CT average	45.3±5.2Highest 10% above CT
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±3.7Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.6%±4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±4.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.1%Lowest CT: 42.5%	57.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.6%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,929±$15kHighest 24% above CT	$117,991±$20kLowest 23% above CT
	Portland and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$337,400±$36kLowest 8% below CT	$395,300±$24kHighest 8% above CT
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,129±$62Lowest 24% below CT	$1,403±$358Highest 6% below CT
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,461Lowest about the CT average	$7,232Highest 9% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±20.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	59.9%±28.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Canton and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%	5.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	18.5%±4.8Lowest CT: 16%	24.8%±6.1Highest CT: 16%
	Canton and Portland 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	#61 of 149 in CT	#22 of 149 in CT
School district	Portland School District	Canton School District
High school in town	Portland High School	Canton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	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.