What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benton has the oldest population (median age 62.1).

Proctor has the most people working from home (9.4%).

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	1,794Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 60% above U.S.	42.4±6.4Lowest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±2.5Lowest 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%	28.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.7Highest 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.	$74,167±$12kHighest 8% 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.	$209,900±$17kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,029±$202 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Lowest 6% below U.S.	$4,032Highest 29% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.3%±16.2Lowest 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%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%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%	9.4%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Proctor and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70
High school 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.