What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.9%).

Washington has the most expensive homes ($371k 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	Peru	Washington
People
Population	630Highest	526Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	-8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.6±4.8Lowest 32% above MA	56.5±7.7Highest 41% above MA
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%	13.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Peru and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	35.4%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28%Lowest MA: 47.3%	32.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Peru and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,750±$18kLowest 13% below MA	$95,278±$12kHighest 8% below MA
	Washington and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,400±$15kLowest 52% below MA	$370,700±$32kHighest 34% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,805Lowest 36% below MA	$4,381Highest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 MA: 51.8%	0%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.2%Highest MA: 10%	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	92.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA	1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	25 minLowest 13% below MA
Work from home	10.3%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.9%±10.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Washington and Peru 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.