What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Peru has the most people working from home (10.3%).

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	Monroe	Peru
People
Population	122Lowest	630Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.9% MA: +7.4%
Median age	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA	52.6±4.8Lowest 32% above MA
	Monroe and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±28Highest MA: 19.4%	16.3%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Monroe and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±27.3Highest MA: 17.9%	29.7%±6.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Monroe and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	28%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%	3.2%±2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Monroe and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$90,750±$18k 13% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA	$267,400±$15kHighest 52% below MA
	Peru and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA	$3,805Highest 36% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 MA: 51.8%	0%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	38.5%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	98.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	56 minHighest 93% above MA	31 minLowest 7% above MA
Work from home	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Peru and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.