What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has the most people working from home (18.7%).

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	Charleston	Proctor
People
Population	936Lowest	1,794Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT	42.4±6.4Lowest about the VT average
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%	22.4%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	28.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Charleston and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below VT	$74,167±$12kHighest 9% below VT
	Proctor and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kHighest 25% below VT	$209,900±$17kLowest 34% below VT
	Charleston and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 21% below VT	$1,029±$202Highest 17% below VT
	Proctor and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT	$4,032Highest 20% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	37.3%±16.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Proctor and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	16.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% above VT	22 minLowest 6% below VT
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%	9.4%±4.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Charleston and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Charleston 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

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.