What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most expensive homes ($230k median).

Proctor has the most kids (17.2% under 18).

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	Benson	Proctor
People
Population	271Lowest	1,586Highest
Median age	50.7±7.7Highest 30% above U.S.	47.3±8.9Lowest 22% above U.S.
	Benson and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Proctor and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.3%±2.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Proctor and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.	$75,060±$12kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Proctor and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$230,100±$15kHighest 31% below U.S.	$206,000±$20kLowest 38% below U.S.
	Benson and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,059±$200 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Lowest 19% below U.S.	$3,944Highest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	39.4%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Proctor and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Proctor and Benson 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

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.