What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benton has the most expensive homes ($288k median).

Proctor has the most people working from home (10%).

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	Benton	Proctor
People
Population	386Lowest	1,586Highest
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 60% above U.S.	47.3±8.9Lowest 22% above U.S.
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Benton and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Proctor and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,895±$4kLowest 16% below U.S.	$75,060±$12kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Proctor and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,300±$46kHighest 13% below U.S.	$206,000±$20kLowest 38% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,059±$200 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Lowest 6% below U.S.	$3,944Highest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.4%±15.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Benton and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	10%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Proctor and Benton 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.