Canton, OH — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Ohio·Canton

Stark County · Canton-Massillon · population 69,211

AffordabilityShrinking
Canton, OH
Image: Wikipedia · Canton, Ohio
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Canton stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.1% in the last year. population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $171,986
1-year +5.1%
5-yr CAGR +6.6%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$172k$80k$113k$146k$179k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
79/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,011/mo$689$881$1,072202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent138138100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.2
Buy

At a 14.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Canton on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
75 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
72 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
36 · w16%
Rent YoY
66 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
76 · w10%
Long thesis

Canton offers a $171,986 median home with +6.6% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Canton's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Canton

Canton is a city in Stark County, Ohio, with an estimated population of 69,211. It anchors the Canton-Massillon metro area. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Canton is $171,986 as of 2026-04, up 5.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Canton average $1,011 per month, up 3.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $171,986 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +5.1% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Canton (Wikipedia)

Canton is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 70,872 at the 2020 census and estimated at 69,211 in 2024, making it the eighth-most populous city in Ohio. The Canton–Massillon metropolitan area had an estimated 400,551 residents in 2024. Canton is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of Cleveland and 20 miles (32 km) south of Akron in Northeast Ohio, on the edge of Ohio's Amish Country.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorWilliam V. Sherer II
Area26.327 sq mi
Elevation1066 ft
Founded1805
NicknameHall of Fame City
Densityauto/sq mi
Named forGuangzhou (Canton), China

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Stark County right now.

NWS active alerts (OH)Ohio Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Stark County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Canton

21 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Hills and Dales$520,784-3.4%
2Plain Center Estates$302,050+8.0%
3Georgeview Estates$231,060+11.3%
4Meyers Lake$225,170+8.7%
5Market Heights$216,442+3.8%
6Edmeyer Park$172,863+6.9%
7Mount Vernon$171,454+7.5%
8Edgefield$165,837+1.5%
9Colonial Heights$151,837+7.4%
10Harter Heights$150,587+0.9%
11Ridgewood$141,912-1.4%
12Vassar Park$125,545+7.4%
13West Park$121,604+10.0%
14Souers$105,038+2.5%
15Fairmount$98,064+9.9%
16Westbrook$94,639+7.4%
17Crystal Park$87,683+0.9%
18Gibbs$73,542+13.2%
19Summit$73,468+3.4%
20Whittier Park$69,970+21.6%
21East Lincoln Highway$62,566+14.7%

Cities like Canton

Parma, OH73 · RisingCuyahoga Falls, OH72 · RisingLakewood, OH71 · RisingNorth Olmsted, OH70 · Rising

Run the numbers for Canton

ToolCan I afford Canton?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Canton rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Canton to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolCanton cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
36° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
83° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
178
~49% of year
Annual precip
39″ rain
28″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Canton listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Canton-Massillon area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$67,800
Ohio state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareFinance

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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