Great Blue Hill Weather Observatory · Photo: Jameslwoodward · CC BY-SA 3.0In Canton, 77% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Canton’s town government spent $144.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $5,860 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.7 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Canton is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Canton School District
Canton’s K–12 school district. The schools are run by Canton, so this money is part of the budget above.
Of the $22,883 per pupil, $14,326 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $5,860 per resident a year, or $16.05 a day
Schools are part of the town’s budget, so they lead the receipt: 59% of day-to-day spending.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Canton runs its own schools, so school spending is part of this budget. Comparisons are with Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
$4,664 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar towns
Canton’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($4,664 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 75 Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools: the median was $4,531, and the middle half spent $3,716–$5,278. Canton spent more than 53% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($3.3 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Canton itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 29% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Canton reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $4,664 · 2023: $4,900 · 2024: $5,860.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $6,560 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.92% of the home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Canton’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Canton’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Canton →
Who’s in charge in Canton
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 44 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (24,609).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
How Canton voted in 2024
Official results for Canton’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat59.9%8,381 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican37.6%5,259 votesOthers: 2.6% (358 votes).
Most votes in Canton: Kamala D Harris
Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Canton’s 18,213 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Canton: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Norfolk County: Warren 59.3%, Deaton 40.5% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Stephen F Lynch
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Canton, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | 59.9% | 37.6% | 2.6% | 13,998 |
| Norfolk County | 62.8% | 34.3% | 2.9% | 386,447 |
| Massachusetts | 61.2% | 36.0% | 2.8% | 3,473,668 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Canton.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Massachusetts HouseState representatives
- 3Massachusetts SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Massachusetts
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Canton compares with the towns next door
Canton spent $4,664 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $4,156 to $7,152. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Canton’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Canton’s government
How much does Canton spend per resident?
About $5,860 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $4,664 was more than 53% of 75 Massachusetts towns and townships of 10,000–24,999 that run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Canton?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,560 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.92% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Canton’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Canton yet.
How did Canton vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 59.9%, Donald J Trump 37.6% (13,998 votes, official results). Norfolk County: Harris 62.8%, Trump 34.3%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Canton?
555 full-time and 245 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $4.9M (about $59.3M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Canton in the state legislature?
State Senate District Bristol and Norfolk (Paul Feeney) and State House District 6th Norfolk (Bill Galvin). The House district also covers two neighboring towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Canton’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →