What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most people working from home (11.1%).

Proctor has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.3%).

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	Bath	Proctor
People
Population	1,097Lowest	1,794Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.6±8.6Highest 25% above U.S.	42.4±6.4Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Bath and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Proctor and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Proctor and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,813±$22kLowest 16% below U.S.	$74,167±$12kHighest 8% below U.S.
	Proctor and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,400±$23kHighest 30% below U.S.	$209,900±$17kLowest 37% below U.S.
	Bath and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,438±$309Highest about the U.S. average	$1,029±$202Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Bath and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,413Highest 41% above U.S.	$4,032Lowest 29% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	5.9%±61.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	37.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Proctor and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	11.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Bath School District	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70
High school in town	None in town	Proctor Junior/Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.