What stands out worked out from the figures below

Collins has the most affordable homes ($153k median).

Peru has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.2%).

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	Collins	Peru
People
Population	4,643Lowest	6,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.2%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40.5±6.2Lowest about the NY average	40.7±3.6Highest about the NY average
	Peru and Collins are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±6.6Highest NY: 20.5%	21.8%±3.4Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Collins and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±3.8Highest NY: 17.9%	15.4%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Collins and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%	33.2%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±0.9Lowest NY: 7%	6.3%±5.4Highest NY: 7%
	Peru and Collins are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,905±$5kLowest 29% below NY	$101,771±$22kHighest 18% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$153,000±$11kLowest 64% below NY	$203,200±$38kHighest 52% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$799±$90Lowest 51% below NY	$1,067±$173Highest 34% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,501Lowest 62% below NY	$4,357Highest 34% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±38.2Highest NY: 52.1%	54.8%±25.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Collins and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.1%Highest NY: 14%	8.9%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%	82.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 9 yrs older than NY	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 26% below NY	21 minLowest 37% below NY
Work from home	11%±5Highest NY: 14.9%	10.2%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Collins and Peru 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	#467 of 484 in NY	#347 of 484 in NY
School district	GOWANDA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	None in town	PERU HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.