Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 25,165, settled in 1803.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Canton grades A− overall, 94th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It has 45 miles of trail and 31% conserved land. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $143K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $799K, 6.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. 31% of the land in Canton is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Canton has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory and House at 155 Reservoir.
Where Canton beats most towns.
Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,598 in 1850, 24,370 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1820 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Canton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Canton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw11 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw38 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
13 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
11 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Canton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Canton.
Canton draws workers from Boston and beyond, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and has less tooth loss than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 6.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
23% of Canton adults have obesity, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 28% and U.S. towns at 35%. 8% of adults smoke cigarettes in Canton. Canton beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Canton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Canton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.1% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Canton school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wm H Galvin MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 716 | B |
| Canton HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 968 | A |
| Dean S LuceTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 509 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
24,180 jobs are based in Canton, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Canton for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Canton is 36 minutes. Jobs based in Canton grew to 24,180 in 2023, 2,026 more than in 2013.
| Canton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $143,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its 3,897 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 82% of Massachusetts towns.
45 miles of trail in 39 parks and preserves. Canton’s trail density is 2.3 miles per square mile. Neponset River Reservation, at 894 acres with 7.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blue Hills Reservation | 8.1 mi | 661 |
| 2. Neponset River Reservation | 7.1 mi | 894 |
| 3. Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate | 2.7 mi | 96 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Canton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Canton home is worth about $799,000, up 2.8% in a year, 22% above the Massachusetts typical home.
| Canton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,315 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Canton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 70 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 262 to 204 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Canton sits closer to the middle.
| Canton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
49 within 15 miles of the center of Canton
About 5 of every 100 Canton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
21,561 counted in 2010 and 24,370 in 2020; an estimated 25,165 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 places in Canton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Canton.
5 towns share a border with Canton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Canton grades A− overall, better than 82% of U.S. towns and #94 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Canton sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
Canton was settled in 1803 and has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 10 notable people were born here, including James Batcheller Sumner and Bill Burr.
