What stands out worked out from the figures below

Putnam has the most expensive homes ($266k median).

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

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	Putnam	Proctor
People
Population	540Lowest	1,794Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	42.4±6.4Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Putnam and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Proctor and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Proctor and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,344±$14kHighest 14% above U.S.	$74,167±$12kLowest 8% below U.S.
	Putnam and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$266,200±$48kHighest 20% below U.S.	$209,900±$17kLowest 37% below U.S.
	Putnam and Proctor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,029±$202 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,674Lowest 18% above U.S.	$4,032Highest 29% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	37.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Proctor and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.4%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Proctor and Putnam are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70
High school in town	None 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

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.