What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Proctor has the shortest commute (22 min average).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Athens	Proctor
People
Population	431Lowest	1,586Highest
Median age	47.3±6.5 10% above VT	47.3±8.9 10% above VT
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.2%±5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Proctor and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	23.5%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Proctor and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	28%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	3.9%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT	$75,060±$12kHighest 8% below VT
	Proctor and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT	$206,000±$20kLowest 35% below VT
	Athens and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT	$1,059±$200Lowest 14% below VT
	Athens and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$3,944Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%	39.4%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	10%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	22 minLowest 5% below VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	10%±5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.