What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

Peru has the most affordable homes ($203k 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	Colchester	Peru
People
Population	17,648Highest	6,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.4Lowest about the U.S. average	40.7±3.6Highest 5% above U.S.
	Peru and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Peru and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colchester and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colchester and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,891±$9kLowest 21% above U.S.	$101,771±$22kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Peru and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$25kHighest 19% above U.S.	$203,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$122Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,067±$173Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,471Highest 75% above U.S.	$4,357Lowest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.2%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.8%±25.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peru and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 70 in VT	#347 of 484 in NY
School district	Colchester School District	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Colchester High School	PERU HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	11.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.