What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Milton	Peru
People
Population	10,769Highest	6,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±2.5Highest 7% above U.S.	40.7±3.6Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Milton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Milton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±5.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.	$101,771±$22kLowest 26% above U.S.
	Milton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.	$203,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,067±$173Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.	$4,357Lowest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.8%±25.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peru and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Milton 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	#56 of 70 in VT	#347 of 484 in NY
School district	Milton School District	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Milton Senior High School	PERU HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	11.7Highest
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.