What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most people working from home (15%).

Proctor has the most kids (21.8% 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	Fairlee	Proctor
People
Population	1,066Lowest	1,794Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT	42.4±6.4Lowest about the VT average
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%	22.4%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Highest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,760±$10kHighest 8% below VT	$74,167±$12kLowest 9% below VT
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kHighest 13% below VT	$209,900±$17kLowest 34% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,083±$242Highest 12% below VT	$1,029±$202Lowest 17% below VT
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Highest 11% above VT	$4,032Lowest 20% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%	37.3%±16.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	16.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 3% above VT	22 minLowest 6% below VT
Work from home	15%±7.9Highest VT: 16.9%	9.4%±4.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Fairlee and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate 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.