Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory · Photo: Jameslwoodward · CC BY-SA 3.0Household incomes in Canton are higher than in 94% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 2.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston. The poverty rate is 5.2%, where Massachusetts as a whole has 10.0%. Canton grades A for jobs and income and A for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The commute and the jobs: Canton in brief
Most jobs in Canton pay over $40,000 a year
82% of the jobs based in Canton pay over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year), the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs ↓
Canton is where the jobs are
Canton has 24,180 jobs, 2.0 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 37,000 people are in town, 48% more than the 25,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Canton draws workers from far and wide
The 24,180 jobs in Canton are filled from a wide area. Canton’s own residents hold 5% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 67% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Canton workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 36 minutes each way, against 29 across Massachusetts. Over a year that’s about 276 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
31% of Canton works in Boston
3,739 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Boston, 12 miles away. That’s 3 times as many as work in Canton itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Canton
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Canton is better than 93% of U.S. towns, #56 of 283 in Massachusetts. Household income is its strongest input ($143,381, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Canton could be anywhere from A− to A+.
82% of the jobs in Canton pay over $3,333 a month
24,180 jobs are based in Canton.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Canton, 2013 → 2023: 22,154 → 24,180. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Canton’s own residents hold wherever they work.
A workday in Canton: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 10,850 residents head out to work, 1,215 work right here, and 22,965 people come in from elsewhere.
About 37,000 people are in Canton on a workday afternoon, 48% more than live here.
2.0 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Canton, and from where
Where Canton clocks in
31% of workers
3% of workers
3% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
A commute of about 36 minutes in Canton
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 11.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Canton workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,200 commuters (the 26% who work from home are left out). Across Massachusetts: 75% drive alone, 8% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How far Canton’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Good to walk, short on transit: Canton
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 12,375 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 49% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 8% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 2.3 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 71% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.9% of Canton households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 11% of Canton’s commuters take a bus or train.
Canton places 173rd of 1,516 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 18,000 to 34,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mountain Brook AL | 21,661 | $201K | 3.2% | 1.2% | 8% | A+ |
| 3 | Lake Forest IL | 19,731 | $235K | 3.5% | 1.8% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 17 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 37 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 39 | Reading MA | 25,803 | $166K | 3.2% | 3.3% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 171 | Cottage Lake WA | 22,518 | $213K | 3.2% | 4.1% | 2% | A |
| 172 | Windham ME | 19,912 | $108K | 3.4% | 1.5% | 13% | A |
| 173 | Canton MA | 25,165 | $143K | 5.2% | 3.8% | 10% | A |
| 174 | Goffstown NH | 18,607 | $114K | 6.4% | 0.8% | 8% | A |
| 175 | Albany CA | 19,195 | $144K | 6.8% | 3.1% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,516 | Nogales AZ | 19,495 | $43K | 28.0% | 15.7% | 37% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Canton, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Canton and the towns next door
The biggest share goes to Norwood (3%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Canton workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | – | A | A | 36 min | $143,381 |
| Norwood | 3% | A− | A+ | 30 min | $107,030 |
| Dedham | under 2% | A | A | 29 min | $128,955 |
| Westwood | 2% | A+ | A− | 30 min | $223,125 |
| Stoughton | 2% | A− | A | 33 min | $104,794 |
| Sharon | under 2% | A+ | A− | 39 min | $191,835 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Canton’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Canton: questions
What is the median household income in Canton?
$143,381 (±$9,210) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Canton?
5.2%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Canton?
36 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 26% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Canton work?
10% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Boston (31%, 12 mi), Cambridge (3%, 14 mi), Quincy (3%, 8 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Canton walkable?
Canton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 10.2 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Canton without a car?
11% of commuters take transit and 8% of households have no car. 8% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Canton, from the people who make the trip.
More of Canton
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.