What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the most people working from home (10%).

Smithville has the most affordable homes ($173k 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	Proctor	Smithville
People
Population	1,586Highest	1,525Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-5.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.3±8.9Highest 22% above U.S.	43.1±3.2Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Proctor and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±5Highest U.S.: 22%	16.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Proctor and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.1%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithville and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,060±$12kHighest 7% below U.S.	$70,433±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Proctor and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$206,000±$20kHighest 38% below U.S.	$173,200±$42kLowest 48% below U.S.
	Proctor and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,059±$200Highest 25% below U.S.	$889±$186Lowest 37% below U.S.
	Proctor and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,944Lowest 26% above U.S.	$4,254Highest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.4%±15.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.9%±31.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithville and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Proctor and Smithville 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

U.S. 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.