Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Canton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B overall, 53rd among North Carolina's 286 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 78% of the state's. It also does better than most on health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 64% of the country. A typical home there costs about $288K, 4.6 years of the Waynesville area’s $62K median household income. Canton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Patton Farm and James M. Gwyn House. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 3 have a lower January low than Canton. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 68% of U.S. towns.
Where Canton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| North Canton Elementary | PK–5 | 332 |
| Meadowbrook Elementary | PK–5 | 198 |
| Canton Middle | 6–8 | 475 |
Patton FarmEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Canton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 230 in 1900, 4,422 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1911 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Canton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
9 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
Big draw36 mi MountainMount Mitchell
Big draw37 mi MountainKuwohi
13 mi National forestPisgah National Forest15 mi Theme parkGhost Town in the SkyGreat Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Pisgah National Forest: Ken Thomas, Public domain
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 is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of North Carolina; it also has little public open land.
The largest public high school is Pisgah High, with 859 students. The Haywood County Schools runs its public schools. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 475 | C+ |
| Pisgah HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 859 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
January nights average 25.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 96% of North Carolina places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.4°.
Canton has chilly winters and pleasant summers. About 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,525 U.S. towns with household incomes like Canton’s, it is healthier than 81%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Canton: a third of adults sleep under 7 hours, against 34% in North Carolina’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression locally. Against the North Carolina average, Canton comes out ahead on 4 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 1.
| Canton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 34% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 36% | 35% |
| What stands out | Canton | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.3% | 15.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 8.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.2% | 7.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
101 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 13 properties have flooded more than once.
Federal aid has come to Canton households in 5 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in nearly two thirds of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 101 claims here since 1983. Expected losses in Canton break down as 57% from inland flooding and 26% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among working residents in Canton, 12% work locally. The top destinations are Asheville (23%), Waynesville (9%) and Hendersonville (2%). The median commute is under 16 miles. Canton: 15% of residents live below the poverty line, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 13% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
| Canton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical value, about $288K, is 7% below its February 2025 peak.
Canton’s going rate for rent comes in at $790 a month. A typical home locally is worth about $288,000, down 3.7% in a year, 13% below the North Carolina typical home. A home in Canton typically sold within 48 days of listing.
| Canton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $790 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 67% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Canton's reported crime rate is close to North Carolina's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 7 violent crimes were reported in 2024. Its property crime rate comes in at 18.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Canton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 18.8 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Just 18 of its 1,832 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Canton itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
Across 3 parks and preserves: 0.3 miles of trail. The concentration of trails in Canton is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Canton | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Canton Memorial Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Sorrells Street Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Chestnut Mountain Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Canton
About 3 of every 100 Canton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
3 places in Canton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Canton.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Canton is the second largest town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. It is located about 17 miles (27 km) west of Asheville and is part of that city's metropolitan area. The town is named after the city of Canton, Ohio. The population was 4,422 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Canton.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | #53 | B | B | — | A− | B |
| West Canton | — | — | C | — | A− | B− |
West Canton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Canton and West Canton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Canton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Canton grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #53 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades B for health and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Fred Chappell and David B. Sentelle.
