What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

Windham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

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	Windham
People
Population	630Highest	594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	52.6±4.8Highest 35% above U.S.	44.2±7.4Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.5%±7.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23.2%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Peru and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peru and Windham 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 12% above U.S.	$94,500±$12kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Windham 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 20% below U.S.	$353,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,805Lowest 22% above U.S.	$5,951Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±94Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.3%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham 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

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.