Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Canton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C+ overall, 447th among New York's 745 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 64% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $70K, and 14% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $163K, 2.6 years of the Massena area’s $63K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 12 places on the National Register. 39% of working residents work locally in Canton, above both the New York town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include US Post Office-Canton and Village Park Historic District. Canton is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Canton beats most towns.
Herring-Cole Hall, St. Lawrence University
Census counts: 1,337 in 1820, 11,638 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 4 maps from 1910 on.
12 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Canton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Canton.
Canton is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Potsdam and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
5,891 jobs are based in Canton, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 15.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The share of workers in Canton who work remotely from home: 17%. Jobs in Canton grew by 1,008 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 5,891. The town’s average commute is 16 minutes. The top destinations are Potsdam (12%), Ogdensburg (5%) and De Kalb (2%).
| Canton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 17% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of the 8 schools are below, and why each made the list. Its public schools are run by the Canton Central School District. The largest public high school is H C Williams Senior High School, with 332 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| F S Banford Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 408 | B− |
| H C Williams Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 332 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
33.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 7% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
College graduates make up 44% of adults 25 and older, against 40% across New York. Canton’s age of the median resident stands at 28.3 years. The Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate puts Canton at 11,256 residents, down 3.5% since 2020. In Canton, 13% of residents are under 18.
| Canton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 28.3 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 32% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Canton | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.7% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 34.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.9% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 20.2% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 18.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.4% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
24 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. In Canton, the density of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Upper And Lower Lakes Wildlife Management Area | 1.4 mi | 8,557 |
| 2. Bend in the River Park | 0.1 mi | 12 |
| 3. Taylor Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
On expected storm and flood damage, Canton sits below 69% of U.S. communities. 65% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 17%. Flood insurance has paid out on 2 claims in the town since 2014.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,544 U.S. towns with household incomes like Canton’s, it is healthier than 80%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
For adults in Canton, the share who report frequent mental distress is 19%. Only 8 of the 755 New York towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Canton. This New York town beats the New York average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
| Canton | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Canton | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults with depression | 24.4% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Canton
College town 34 of every 100 Canton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Canton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
12 places in Canton on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Canton.
Town in New York, United States
Canton is an incorporated town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Canton, the other named Rensselaer Falls. The town is named after the great port of Canton (now named Guangzhou) in China. Canton is the home of St. Lawrence University and the State University of New York at Canton. The Canton Central School District is based in the village of Canton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Canton.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | #447 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Russell | — | — | A− | — | C− | C |
| Lisbon | #457 | C+ | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Potsdam | #404 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| De Kalb | — | — | A− | — | C− | C− |
| Oswegatchie | #381 | B− | A | — | C+ | C− |
| Pierrepont | #438 | C+ | B | — | B− | B |
Russell and De Kalb have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Canton, Russell, Lisbon, Potsdam, De Kalb, Oswegatchie and Pierrepont report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Canton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Canton grades C+ overall, better than 43% of U.S. towns and #447 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
9 notable people were born here, including Jordan Greenway and Wade Megan.
