What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mendon has the most people working from home (22.5%).

Proctor has the most affordable homes ($206k median).

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	Mendon	Proctor
People
Population	1,113Lowest	1,586Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.4±10.5Highest 24% above VT	47.3±8.9Lowest 10% above VT
	Mendon and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.2%±5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Proctor and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29%±1.3Highest VT: 21.4%	23.5%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	28%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	3.9%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Proctor and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,524±$23kHighest 24% above VT	$75,060±$12kLowest 8% below VT
	Mendon and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,000±$44kHighest 13% above VT	$206,000±$20kLowest 35% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,230±$651Highest about the VT average	$1,059±$200Lowest 14% below VT
	Mendon and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,342Highest 6% above VT	$3,944Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	88.6%±42.7Highest VT: 48.4%	39.4%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Mendon and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.2%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 28% below VT	22 minHighest 5% below VT
Work from home	22.5%±8.9Highest VT: 16.9%	10%±5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Mendon and Proctor 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

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.