What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the most kids (17.2% under 18).

Peru has the highest household income ($152k).

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	Proctor	Peru
People
Population	1,586Highest	434Lowest
Median age	47.3±8.9Highest 10% above VT	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT
	Proctor and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±5Highest VT: 17.9%	8.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Proctor and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Proctor and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Proctor and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,060±$12kLowest 8% below VT	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% above VT
	Peru and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$206,000±$20kLowest 35% below VT	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,059±$200Lowest 14% below VT	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average
	Peru and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,944Lowest 22% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.4%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Proctor and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 5% below VT	28 minHighest 19% above VT
Work from home	10%±5Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±16.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Peru 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.