What stands out worked out from the figures below

Poultney has the youngest population (median age 34).

Proctor has the oldest population (median age 47.3).

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	Poultney	Proctor
People
Population	3,010Highest	1,586Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	34±5.6Lowest 21% below VT	47.3±8.9Highest 10% above VT
	Proctor and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%	17.2%±5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Poultney and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	23.5%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Proctor and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest VT: 43.8%	28%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.3%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	3.9%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,617±$6kLowest 11% below VT	$75,060±$12kHighest 8% below VT
	Proctor and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$206,200±$18kHighest 35% below VT	$206,000±$20kLowest 35% below VT
	Poultney and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$913±$84Lowest 26% below VT	$1,059±$200Highest 14% below VT
	Proctor and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,520Lowest 30% below VT	$3,944Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±17.3Highest VT: 48.4%	39.4%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Poultney and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 8 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 24% above VT	22 minLowest 5% below VT
Work from home	11.3%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%	10%±5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Poultney and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#41 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	—
High school in town	Poultney High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.