What stands out worked out from the figures below

Proctor has the highest household income ($74k).

Wells River has the most renters (52.1% rent).

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	Wells River
People
Population	1,794Highest	340Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	42.4±6.4Lowest about the VT average	42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average
	Wells River 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%	17.1%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Proctor and Wells River 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%	19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Proctor and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Proctor and Wells River 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	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,900±$17kHighest 34% below VT	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT
	Proctor and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,029±$202Highest 17% below VT	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT
	Proctor and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,032Lowest 20% below VT	$4,154Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.3%±16.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	47.6%±14.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Wells River and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	38.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938 38 yrs older than VT	1938 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	34 minHighest 43% above VT
Work from home	9.4%±4.6Highest VT: 16.9%	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Proctor and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.