What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most affordable homes ($273k median).

Peru has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Ira	Peru
People
Population	381Lowest	434Highest
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT	45.3±8.6Lowest 5% above VT
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.5%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%	8.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Highest VT: 7%	1.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kLowest 12% below VT	$151,875±$83kHighest 87% above VT
	Peru and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kLowest 14% below VT	$400,000±$105kHighest 26% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 24% below VT	$1,271±$820Highest about the VT average
	Peru and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 18% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Highest VT: 48.4%	29%±47.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Ira and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	1.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	28 minLowest 19% above VT
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±16.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Peru and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.