What stands out worked out from the figures below

Painted Post has the most people working from home (13.8%).

Peru has the highest household income ($102k).

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	Painted Post	Peru
People
Population	1,824Lowest	6,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.3%Highest NY: +4.2%	-3.2%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.7±5.2Highest 15% above NY	40.7±3.6Lowest about the NY average
	Painted Post and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.5Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.8%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	Peru and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±4.1Highest NY: 17.9%	15.4%±3.6Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Painted Post and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.5%Highest NY: 40.2%	33.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.4Lowest NY: 7%	6.3%±5.4Highest NY: 7%
	Peru and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,891±$14kLowest 27% below NY	$101,771±$22kHighest 18% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,900±$13kLowest 63% below NY	$203,200±$38kHighest 52% below NY
	Peru and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$839±$281Lowest 48% below NY	$1,067±$173Highest 34% below NY
	Peru and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,442Highest 17% below NY	$4,357Lowest 34% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±18.8Highest NY: 52.1%	54.8%±25.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Painted Post and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest NY: 14%	8.9%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Lowest NY: 54.3%	82.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 13 yrs older than NY	1976Highest 17 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 49% below NY	21 minHighest 37% below NY
Work from home	13.8%±8.1Highest NY: 14.9%	10.2%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Painted Post 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	—	#347 of 484 in NY
School district	—	PERU CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school 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.