What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Topsfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Topsfield
People
Population	1,794Lowest	6,564Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±6.4Highest 9% above U.S.	42.2±1.8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Proctor and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.8%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Topsfield and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±2.5 U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.8 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	71.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Topsfield and Proctor 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 8% below U.S.	$195,718±$16kHighest 142% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,900±$17kLowest 37% below U.S.	$853,400±$40kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,029±$202Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,115±$538Highest 21% below U.S.
	Topsfield and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,032Lowest 29% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.3%±16.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±40.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Topsfield 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 U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	Topsfield
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 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.