What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Belvidere has the most expensive homes ($239k 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	Belvidere
People
Population	1,794Highest	422Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	42.4±6.4Highest about the VT average	40.7±6.5Lowest 6% below VT
	Proctor and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	22%±4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Belvidere and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±2.5Highest VT: 21.4%	8.8%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	35.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	1.4%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Proctor and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,167±$12kLowest 9% below VT	$81,563±$18kHighest about the VT average
	Belvidere and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,900±$17kLowest 34% below VT	$239,200±$51kHighest 24% below VT
	Belvidere and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,029±$202Lowest 17% below VT	$1,542±$1kHighest 25% above VT
	Belvidere and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,032Highest 20% below VT	$3,908Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.3%±16.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	66.7%±53.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Belvidere and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1989Highest 13 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	38 minHighest 60% above VT
Work from home	9.4%±4.6 VT: 16.9%	9.4%±7.6 VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	—
High school 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.