What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hope has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Hope
People
Population	1,501Lowest	1,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+10.5%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	48±7.6Highest 7% above ME	44.6±3.1Lowest about the ME average
	Peru and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±4Lowest ME: 18.1%	23.3%±5.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Hope and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%	21.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Peru and Hope 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%	47.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	2.1%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Peru and Hope are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,827±$19kLowest 11% below ME	$86,766±$6kHighest 16% above ME
	Hope and Peru 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	$373,400±$33kHighest 26% above ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$723±$16Lowest 37% below ME	$1,219±$182Highest 7% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,799Lowest 41% below ME	$3,842Highest 27% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.7%±37.5Lowest ME: 48.4%	37.8%±38.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Hope and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 18% above ME	20 minLowest 19% below ME
Work from home	9.2%±4Lowest ME: 15.9%	18.3%±10.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Hope and Peru are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 56	Hope 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.