What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peru has the most affordable homes ($141k median).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Appleton
People
Population	1,501Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+7.2%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48±7.6Lowest 7% above ME	49.2±7.4Highest 10% above ME
	Appleton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	15.3%±2.7Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Peru and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.1%±9.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Appleton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.7%±2.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Appleton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,827±$19kHighest 11% below ME	$53,618±$19kLowest 28% below ME
	Peru and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,300±$38kLowest 52% below ME	$235,600±$33kHighest 21% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$723±$16Lowest 37% below ME	$1,104±$82Highest 3% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,799Lowest 41% below ME	$3,588Highest 18% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.7%±37.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	85.4%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Appleton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1988Highest 11 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 18% above ME	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	9.2%±4Lowest ME: 15.9%	11.1%±3.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Appleton and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 56	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.