What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.3%).

Rutland has the most expensive homes ($302k 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	Rutland
People
Population	1,794Lowest	3,927Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.4±6.4Lowest about the VT average	50.8±4.5Highest 18% above VT
	Rutland and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±3.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Proctor and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	28.9%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Rutland and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	38%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Proctor and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,167±$12kHighest 9% below VT	$72,099±$17kLowest 11% below VT
	Proctor and Rutland 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	$301,500±$40kHighest 5% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,029±$202Lowest 17% below VT	$1,221±$324Highest about the VT average
	Rutland 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	$3,984Lowest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.3%±16.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.5%±17.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Rutland 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%	10.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	75.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 6% below VT	20 minLowest 17% below VT
Work from home	9.4%±4.6Highest VT: 16.9%	8.2%±4.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Proctor and Rutland 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	—	#24 of 70 in VT
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	Rutland Town School District
High school in town	Proctor Junior/Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7	—
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.